Weasley Family Fallout
by WeasleyObsession
Summary: The war is won, Fred is dead, Percy has failed to come back, all the other kids have temporarily moved back home, and emotions are running high at the Burrow. Who gets into a big fight? What horrid thing happens, or almost happens? What will the consequences be? Will there be a divorce? Whose side will each family member take? Most importantly,will the Weasleys be able to fix this?
1. The Fight

The war was won three weeks ago, and Fred was buried shortly thereafter. Even though Arthur, Bill, and Fleur had all returned to work, life at the Burrow was far from normal. All the kids had moved back home for the next few months, except Percy who had failed to reconcile with his family, even after Fred was killed. Harry and Hermione were staying there as usual..

All the Weasleys had changed in one way or another. Tempers and emotions were running high amongst the family. Fred's death, Percy's failure to come back, and the stress of the whole of the war had been tough on everyone. The person who had been affected most was Arthur, though he didn't show it…or at least tried not to.

As the patriarch, Arthur was expected to be the tower of strength for his family during this difficult time. He was expected to hold his family together and make everything better. After so long, this can wear even the strongest of people down.

The weeks wore on and Arthur was spending more and more time in his shed. Molly and the kids knew where he disappeared to every day. None of the kids dared ask him why or what he was doing in the shed. They decided it best to leave their father alone.

Molly noticed that as time went on her husband had changed. He was acting completely opposite of how he was in the days following the war and Fred's funeral. Anger and frustration were the only emotions he showed nowadays…well, except for the little bit of depression he tried to keep hidden.

On the few occasions where Molly asked what was wrong or why he always went out to the shed, Arthur replied with his temper or a simple "Nothing" Sometimes when she kept badgering him about it, a new hole would end up in the wall. She thought she knew one of the reasons for his isolation, though.

The truth was, after always having to be strong for his family, Arthur was worn down; he couldn't keep up the façade anymore. He felt better when he was alone and away from his family in his shed with a bottle of firewhiskey in hand.

On Thursday, a month after the war, Arthur returned home from work early. When Molly asked him why, he responded with a shrug and headed straight to his shed. He needed to escape from his emotions, from the pressure his family unintentionally put on him, from everything. There was only one way he knew how to escape without showing his weakness – he wasn't supposed to show weakness.

Arthur was sitting in his shed with his back to the door, staring out the window that framed the rolling hills, holding a bottle of firewhiskey. This had become a regular occurrence whenever he was home. Sometimes he would sit out here for hours on end before finally forcing himself togo inside.

Arthur was taking a drink from the bottle when he was surprised to hear a knock at the door. He hadn't even been home an hour, and no one ever bothered him out here.

He ignored the knock, hoping whoever it was would leave him alone, but, unfortunately for him, the door creaked open.

"Arthur?" Molly asked tentatively.

He didn't turn around at the sound of his wife's voice, but let out an exasperated sigh.

"Arthur?" Molly said a little louder and moved a little closer. She saw the firewhiskey in Arthur's hand, but, honestly, she wasn't surprised. This is what she suspected he was doing. She could always tell he had been drinking after coming in from the shed or even coming home from work.

"What?" he snapped, still not turning to face his wife.

"Please come inside. I'm worried about you."

He still didn't turn to look at her, but shifted his gaze to the table in front of him and said, "I'm fine."

"Arthur Weasley, you are _not_ fine." She moved closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder, "Now, pl-"

"Don't. touch. me." The tone of Arthur's voice was soft, but it didn't hide the bitterness..

"Ar-"

"Molly _, please_ ," he warned.

She left her hand on his shoulder and said sternly, "Not until you look at me."

" _Moll_ -"

"- _Look_ at me, Arthur," she demanded.

Arthur sighed and reluctantly looked up at his wife who was now standing beside him. She had never seen so much anguish in his eyes. That wasn't the only thing she saw though; she saw anger, though she wasn't sure what he was angry at – her interruption, himself, or something completely different. It was a bit frightening; whenever she had looked into her husband's eyes they had always been warm, soft, and loving.

Molly had seen the anger and sadness in his eyes over the past few weeks, but they were never like this. The only other time she had seen his eyes this anguished and angry was right after Fred died.

"Arthur, you're not fine," Molly whispered, tears springing into her eyes. She hated seeing him in so much pain.

Arthur took another swig from the bottle and looked back at Molly. "Yes, I am."

Molly watched as he stood up and walked to the window that framed the house. He placed his hands on either side of the window frame and bowed his head while letting out a shaky breath.

"Arthur, if you were fine, you wouldn't be out here drinking every day!" Molly's temper was rising and she was becoming impatient with him.

"How do you -" Arthur had raised his head and was looking out the window now.

"- I know because we've been married for thirty years and every time you're upset or need a break you come out here and grab the firewhiskey." What Molly said was true, but that was rare and Arthur never did that several days in a row. It was never this bad. "Besides, it's clear in the way you act and you reek of alcohol when you come in the house, and I'm sick of it!"

"Well, what do you expect me to do, Molly?" Arthur yelled as he turned to face her, his temper rising too.

"I've tried getting you to talk about it, but, apparently, you like sitting out here pouting too much!" Molly shouted back.

"Pouting?! _Pouting_?!" Arthur gave a mocking laugh. "That's what you think I've been doing? Excuse me if I want to escape and forget how things are!"

Hearing the ruckus, Bill, Fleur, Ron, and Hermione came out of the house, and Harry and Ginny came out of the garden, meeting the others on the back steps. They saw Arthur through the window and Molly through the open door. It seemed they were glued to where they were standing. They'd never seen their parents fight like that. Sure they'd seen them argue, but not fight. All they could do was watch, shocked and a bit scared. Their father had never been this angry.

Molly and Arthur didn't notice their audience, too engrossed in their fight.

"Well, while you've been out here being selfish and _forgetting_ ," venom dripped from the word, "you should have been in the house helping your FAMILY because we're going through the same damn thing you are! We lost Fred too."

"I know, and I have _tried_ helping, but there's only so much I can do!" Arthur turned around, took a deep breath while running his fingers through his hair, and turned back to Molly. He said, more calmly now, "This isn't much of a family anymore, now is it." It wasn't a question as much as it was a statement.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Molly asked breathlessly, a hint of hurt in her voice.

Arthur scoffed. "Like you haven't noticed?"

"No, Arthur, I haven't! The only thing I've noticed is you always being drunk!"

"Well, let's go through it, shall we? Bill doesn't talk much anymore. Charlie runs off to Merlin knows where every morning and doesn't come back until right before dinner. Percy," Arthur growled and clenched his fist, " _Percy_ didn't come back when Ron, Bill, George, or I almost died! And he didn't come back when Fred _did_!...And Fred's dead, Molly. Our son is dead." Arthur's anger and anguish was past its boiling point. In one fluid movement, he turned around and threw the bottle at the wall and watched it shatter into a million pieces before turning back to his wife.

Molly swallowed hard. The rage in Arthur's eyes scared her. She'd never seen her husband this upset or angry; she'd never seen anyone this upset or angry.

"Continiuing…It's not like George is here anymore! He stays locked up in his room except for meal times, and even then it's not like he's really here! Ron doesn't eat anymore! He always used to be hungry, but now he barely eats anything! Ginny's just as bad as Bill! And you – you don't help any!"

" _EXCUSE_ ME! _I_ don't help any?" She had been letting Arthur blow off steam because he'd needed to talk about why he was so upset, but now he had crossed the line.

"No - No, you don't! You hardly sleep! And you act like everything is okay, but then you - you bring everything back up! You could at least not talk about it around me."

Molly cut him off. "I'm trying to help you, Arthur!"

"Maybe I don't want help, Molly. Maybe I don't want to remember! Maybe I want to forget what that bloody war turned our family into!"

"You'd rather forget and let this family fall apart than -"

"- This family has already fallen apart!"

"Well, maybe if you had cared and helped a bit more-"

"I do care! How _dare_ you say I don't? Why would you even say that?"

"Well, with the way you're acting...and you could at least attempt to help –"

"I _tried_ , Molly! I tried for weeks. I did my best and nothing helped. There's only so much I can do. You expect me to be able to handle everything – to fix everything, but I can't!" Arthur hit the wall with the side of his fist and let out a deep breath, looking at the ground.

Molly didn't know what to say. She couldn't say anything even if she did know. Had she been relying on him too much? She had always expected him to take control whenever something bad happened. The snake attack didn't even seem to faze him. He was always able to fix everything and pull the family through…until now

"I don't think I can do this anymore, Molly," Arthur continued quietly after a minute or two, still leaning with his fist on the wall and staring at the ground.

"Do what anymore?" was all Molly could manage.

Arthur looked at her. "This, Molly." He gestured around them. " _This_."

Molly felt a glimmer of hope, thinking Arthur was talking about coming out and drinking in the shed every day. Her hope was shattered when he elaborated.

"I can't keep seeing my kids like this. I can't keep arguing with you. I can't keep _pretending_ everything is okay. I can't stay in this _bloody house_ anymore!" His voice rose with every sentence. Arthur paused and almost whispered, "You know, if I am making things so much worse, maybe you'd be better off without me."

Bill kept a straight face while he watched the fight. Ron had lost all color in his face. And tears were now silently streaming down Ginny's face. Harry, Hermione, and Fleur stood like statues, unable to move.

Bill, Ron, and Ginny wanted to do something, but they knew better than to intervene. It was bad enough when they interrupted one of their parents' minor arguments. There was no telling what would happen if they got in the middle of them now.

Tears silently slid down Molly's face now. She slowly made her way over to Arthur and put a hand on his chest. Arthur watched her warily as she did so. Molly looked up into her husband's eyes, preparing to apologize for putting so much pressure on him. "I didn't reali-"

Arthur interrupted her with a deadly quiet tone, "I told you not to touch me." He shoved past her and made his way to the door.

Molly turned with him and followed. "Arthur, where are you going?"

He didn't respond, but walked out of the shed. Still, neither of them noticed the kids on the back steps fifty feet away. Arthur was looking at the ground in front of him and Molly was looking at Arthur, trying to catch up.

"Arthur!" But he kept walking. " _Arthur_!" Molly caught up with him a short distance from the shed door and grabbed his wrist.

Everything happened so fast. He wrenched his hand out of her grasp, grabbing her wrist in the process, and raised his free hand as he spun around, fire burning in his eyes. Bill, Ron, and Ginny immediately took off to the spot where this scene was unraveling.

 **A/N: So, there's chapter 1. I have the first few chapters written out already, so I should be able to update by Monday. Please review and let me know what you think. Hope you enjoyed chapter 1!**

 **Also, if you have been reading "Secrets Revealed", I will be doing an epilogue and it should be up by Thursday.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters.**


	2. Sinking In

Everything happened so fast. He wrenched his hand out of her grasp, grabbing her wrist in the process, and raised his free hand as he spun around, fire burning in his eyes. Bill, Ron, and Ginny immediately took off to the spot where this scene was unraveling.

Arthur's demeanor immediately changed and his expression softened when he saw the hurt and frightened look on Molly's face, realization of what he had almost done sinking in. He let go of her wrist and dropped his other hand as this sunk in. What happened? Why did he grab her wrist? How could he raise a hand against her? Arthur would never hurt his Molly.

"Molly, I – I –" Arthur stammered, but he couldn't find a way to explain himself; how could he?

As Arthur was trying to put his words together, all three kids came to a halt beside their parents; Ginny stopping next to her Mum, Ron next to his Dad, and Bill between his siblings. All three of them were furious at their father. Arthur looked at his three children with a shameful expression while Molly couldn't take her eyes off her husband

"Maybe we wouldbe better off if you left, _Dad_." Ron spat out his father's name.

Arthur looked between his three kids before turning back to his wife. "Mollywob-" he began before she cut him off.

" _Don't_ call me that." She took a deep breath. "Ron's right. Maybe it would be better off without you. Even you said that, and you were leaving just now anyway."

"You know I would never do that to you."

"I'm not so sure what you would or would not do anymore."

"But -" He reached for her hand, but before he could do so, Bill stepped in the way.

"You heard her. Get your stuff and leave." Arthur didn't move. Was his family actually telling him to leave his house? He couldn't believe it. " _Now_." Bill pointed to the house.

This time Arthur did as his eldest son commanded. He made his way to the house and upstairs to his and Molly's bedroom.

He closed the door and began pacing, running his fingers through his thinning hair. How could he let things get so out of hand? How could he do that to his Mollywobbles? They really are kicking him out. Well, Molly was right. He was going to leave of his own accord…but would he have stayed away?

Arthur got so frustrated and upset he couldn't hold it in any longer he screamed and punched the wall. Leaving his hand in the hole it had made, he rested his head against the wall and let the tears overcome him. He had held everything in for so long that it finally spilled over.

He wasn't able to get ahold of himself for quite some time. When he had finally calmed down, he dug a bag out from the back of the closet and shoved some of his clothes in – not all of them but enough for a week just in case. He wasn't sure how long this would take to blow over…or even if it would blow over. God, he hoped he hadn't messed up so bad that he wouldn't be able to come back. They had never had a fight like this. He had never gotten that angry before. Molly and the kids had never gotten that angry with him…..Molly had never told him to leave before.

He went into the bathroom and put his toiletries into the bag, and made his way to the stairs. As he walked down the steps, he heard someone say, "Dad?"

It was George.

He had come out of his room because he had heard his father's upset and angry outburst. "Dad, where are you going? What's wrong?"

Arthur didn't answer, but kept walking. How could he tell George, of all his kids, what happened – what he did – what he almost did? George was already been through enough. He heard his son's footsteps behind him, but continued to the door, avoiding eye contact with Harry, Hermione, and Fleur in the kitchen.

When Arthur exited the house, he looked over at his wife and three of their kids. He could tell his kids were still infuriated, so he gave them a wide berth.

Arthur came to an abrupt halt. He had caught Molly's eye. He could still see the hurt, scared look in her eyes and tears were still streaming down her face. He still couldn't understand how he could hurt his Mollywobbles so badly?

Molly could tell Arthur had been crying too. His eyes were red and puffy and his face was red. Whether his face was red because of that or his anger, she did not know…perhaps both? She couldn't help questioning if she had made the right decision by making him leave. Would they be able to patch things up? How long should she make him stay away? Would he even come back? He was already going to leave, and she and the kids had made it clear that they didn't want him there.

Their gaze was broken after a few seconds when Ron, Bill, and Ginny noticed their father had stopped walking and hadn't disapparated yet.

"Oi! What'd she say?" Ron pulled out his wand while taking a few steps toward his father.

With one last longing look at his wife, Arthur turned and disapparated with no clue as to where he would go.

ooOoo

George followed his dad down the stairs, but when he reached the bottom, the door had already slammed shut.

He then turned to the three people sitting in the kitchen – Harry, Hermione, and Fleur – with a silent question

All Harry said was, "Just go outside." None of them were going to get in the middle of this. Sure, they would have their own opinions, but they would publicly have to side with their significant other.

As George stepped outside, he saw his mum with Bill and Ginny halfway between the house and the shed, and Ron was a few feet away from them, putting his wand away, as their dad disapparated.

George approached his mother and siblings. As he got closer, he saw that his mother was crying, and heard the end of their conversation.

"No, Bill, I'm fine. It was my fault anyway. I shouldn't have bothered him," Molly told her eldest with a strained voice and tears still running down her face.

"Mum, you're not fine and none of this is your fault. Besides, that's what you two were fighting about, except he was the one saying he was fine," Bill responded.

"I just need to be alone for a bit."

Ginny stopped her mother from walking away. "Mum, that's exactly what started this. That – that jackass just wanted to be alone and it snowballed into this mess."

Molly gave her kids a questioning look.

"We saw the whole thing…and just about heard all of it too," Ron said.

"There's no telling what would have happened if we hadn't stepped in," Bill stated.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" George finally spoke up. Who were they talking about? Who was going to hit his mum? Surely it wasn't his dad.

Everyone gave a start and exchanged nervous glances before turning to George. They hadn't noticed him standing a few feet away.

"Umm – w-when did you get out here? Why are you out here? I mean – you never leave your room nowadays." Bill stammered. George had been through enough. He didn't need to know what had happened. But how could they hide it from him?

Molly took this distraction to sneak into the house unnoticed.

"Tell me what happened first."

"Mum and Dad had a fight." There, that should be sufficient enough. Maybe he didn't have to tell George everything.

"So? They've been arguing a lot lately."

"This was different." Ginny cut in.

"How could it be different? They've been arguing about the same thing for two weeks."

"It was still about him always being in the shed, but this one was bigger. This one wasn't an argument; it was a fight. We heard them yelling from in the house." Bill decided his brother would find out the whole story one way or another, thought he wouldn't tell him how their father blamed the family for his problems.

"I've never seen Dad that angry, and I've only seen Mum that angry a handful of times." Ginny had mixed feelings about her father. She was angry with him, but she still loved him. This was the man who raised her, yet…it wasn't.

"Oh. Well, where did Dad go? He wouldn't just leave." So this was the biggest fight his parents had ever had, but George didn't believe his father would just walk out, especially after how upset he seemed.

"Who cares where the bastard went?" Ron said under his breath. He didn't care if this was the man who raised him. He didn't act like it anymore. Besides, no matter who it was, he wouldn't let them hurt his Mum.

"I care and, apparently, you three still haven't told me everything."

"Honestly, we don't know where he went and I don't care either." Bill took a deep breath. "Mum told him to leave and he said he was going to leave before that anyway."

"Why would Mum ask him to leave? I mean – I get that they had a fight, but still."

"The S.O.B was going to hit Mum, that's why!" Ron couldn't hold back his anger any longer.

" _Dad,_ " George put an emphasis on the word to correct hi younger brother. He didn't care what they claimed his dad did, he still wanted to show him respect, "would never hurt Mum. That's not him and he loves her too much."

"You weren't out here. You didn't see what happened. You didn't see what he almost did!" Ron's temper kept rising.

" _Almost_ , Ron. _Almost_." George kept his composure. "He didn't hit her -"

"- Only because Bill stepped in the way. He was drunk, George. His hand was raised. You don't know what happened because you keep yourself locked in your room!"

"RON! Stop!" Bill knew how his youngest brother's temper was. He knew Ron would say something he would later regret.

"Well, I don't believe you. He's never hit her before. He's always directed it at a wall or something else…I'll be in my room – where I always am." With that George turned and started for the house. He really didn't believe his siblings.

"George, wait." Ginny ran to catch up with her brother.

George turned around. "What?"

"Why did you come out of your room? I'm not complaining. I'm glad you came out, but I'm curious as to why?"

"I heard Dad in their room. I wanted to find out what was wrong."

"What do you mean 'heard him'? How did you know who it was?" Ginny asked.

"How could I not hear him?" George looked somber and continued quietly. "He hasn't cried like that since right after he found out about Fred."

Ginny didn't say anything, but adopted George's somber expression.

At that time, Bill had gotten Ron to calm down and they approached George and Ginny.

"I'm sorry, George. I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just angry." Ron apologized.

George nodded, took a steadying breath and continued to answer Ginny's question. "Anyway, I didn't figure Mum could hit the wall that hard."

"That just proves he was going to hit Mum."

George went into the house without another word. He wasn't getting into another argument.

"Ron, don't be thick. If he actually was going to hit her, he wouldn't have been so upset afterward." Ginny retorted.

"That, or he was mad that we were kicking his arse out."

"Didn't you see how ashamed he was, Ron?" Ginny asked.

"He was ashamed because we caught him!"

"He was ashamed because he realized he had almost done something terrible!" Ginny's temper was rising now too.

"He wouldn't have stopped and realized it if we hadn't shown up! He's changed, Ginny! You need to understand that!"

Ginny couldn't think of a comeback. She couldn't disagree with Ron's statement. She wasn't even sure her father would have stopped if they hadn't shown up, and he had changed a great deal.

"I agree with Ron, Ginny. There's no way of knowing what would have happened, but that's not the man who raised us." Bill settled the matter.

Ginny wasn't sure what to believe now. She was torn; she wanted to believe that her father wouldn't have hit her mum, but it looked like he was going to and there had been other close calls during her parents' smaller arguments recently.

"I'll go start dinner." Ginny went into the house, followed by her brothers.

ooOoo

When Molly entered the house, she kept her head down to avoid making eye contact with anyone as she headed for her bedroom,

She closed the door behind her, her fingers brushing against the busted sheetrock where Arthur punched the wall. She examined it closely. Not only was the sheetrock busted, but it was also quite bloody. Some blood had even dripped down the untouched wall below the hole.

Would Arthur really have hit her if their kids hadn't intervened? No, she saw the look on his face; he wouldn't purposely hurt her. Did asking him to leave set him off? Or could he not hold his emotions in any longer? And why did it look like he left his hand in the hole for a few minutes?

She heard her kids yelling outside, but she couldn't referee right now. Anyway, Bill could handle it.

Molly turned to the room. The closet door was standing open and some clothes had been dropped on the floor. Half of the closet was a mess, actually – Arthur's half. She could see he had left some of his clothes. Was he planning on coming back or could he not fit those in his bag? Maybe he left those for her to remember him by?

The fight and trying to determine what all this meant was too overwhelming. Molly slid down the wall and sobbed. Even though tears had escaped while she was outside, she wasn't able to let it all out.

After half an hour, Molly got up and went into the bathroom to get a cool rag to wipe her face off with. When she thought she didn't look like she had cried for the past hour, she went downstairs to start dinner. She hadn't realized how late it was – it was nearly 6:30.

She saw Bill, Ron, and Harry in the sitting room when she reached the bottom of the stairs. She figured George was in his room again, and it was always 6:45 when Charlie got home. The girls were no where to be seen.

The three boys looked up at her.

"Mum," Bill started as he stood up, closely followed by Ron.

Molly cut him off, "I'm fine now." She tried to smile, but ultimately failed.

"Okay," Bill said even though he didn't believe her. "Ginny, Fleur, and Hermione are working on dinner."

"Oh, now I just feel terrible, making them fix supper. I should have paid attention to the time." Molly hurried off to the kitchen to help.

Bill and Ron sat down. Their mother always tried looking on the bright side and tried convincing them that she was fine even when it was clear she wasn't.

 **A/N: Hey, guys! Thanks for reading, reviewing, and favoriting. I hope y'all liked this chapter.**

 **Next up, we're going to see where Arthur disapparated to. There will be a surprise character, too.**

 **Also, do y'all like longer chapters (2,500 - 3,000 words) or shorter ones (1,000 - 1,500 words)? Let me know about that please.**


	3. A Helping Hand

**A Helping Hand**

Arthur found himself down a side street in Hogsmeade. After looking around and taking in his surroundings, he realized he was standing outside the Hog's Head.

He wasn't sure how he managed to apparate there without being splinched or why he even came to this spot. He hadn't been thinking of anywhere in particular, just that he didn't want to see anyone he knew and that he wanted to completely forget what had happened. In that case, this was the perfect spot; the only person he knew at this pub was Aberforth, but they didn't really know each other, and it was the perfect place forget things.

He slowly entered the pub and scanned the room for anyone he knew. He didn't recognize anyone, except Aberforth who was behind the bar. He hadn't expected to see any familiar faces due to the pub's reputation.

Arthur took an empty stool at the bar and ordered a firewhiskey. It was odd because he was used to drinking straight from the bottle and not a glass. He was already finishing his second glass when Hagrid and Charlie walked in half an hour later.

"Hey, Charlie, isn't tha' yer Dad?" Hagrid nodded his head toward where Arthur was sitting at the bar.

Charlie looked at the middle-aged, red-headed man who was sipping his drink at the bar. "Yeah. Yeah, it is," Charlie replied as he made his way to his and Hagrid's usual table. He wasn't surprised to see his father drinking, but he was surprised to see him at the pub. Usually, his Dad drank in the privacy of his shed.

"Shouldn' we check on him?" Hagrid asked. He knew this was odd behavior for the Weasley patriarch.

"No. He doesn't look like he wants to be bothered. Come on."

Neither man spoke as they took their seats and ordered their drinks. After they got their drinks, Hagrid inquired, "Tell me, wha's goin' on, Charlie? You don't seem surprised tha' he's here."

"I'm not, honestly."

"An' why's tha'?"

"Well, I am surprised to see him here. He normally only drinks at home, or tries to hide it when he's in public," Charlie said as he and Hagrid studied Arthur who was still drinking steadily at the bar. It was clear to them both that he was slightly drunk.

"Is he alrigh'?" Hagrid asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I don't think so, but we don't ask him about it. Mum's tried to, though."

"Has Molly gotten through to him? Surely, she has. If anyone can it's her."

Charlie shook his head. "No. They've been arguing a lot lately. Most of the time, her asking him questions is what causes the arguments. There are even a few holes in the wall." He turned back to Hagrid. "He's…changed."

Hagrid nodded his head in understanding, and said solemnly, "I see…Do you think this has anything to do with Fred?"

"That may be the root of the cause, but I think it's more than that. He just won't tell anyone what it is," Charlie said as he stood. "Well, I gotta get home. Mum'll have dinner ready soon."

"What abou' yer Dad?" Arthur hadn't moved from his barstool since Charlie and Hagrid had arrived.

Charlie shrugged. "I guess he'll come home when he wants to, and I wouldn't bother him if I were you…I can tell you want to. Anyway, see you tomorrow."

"Can't I try to see what's wrong?"

"You can do whatever you like, but don't say I didn't warn you. " Charlie exited the pub and disapparated.

Hagrid watched Arthur for a few minutes before approaching. He was starting his fourth glass of firewhiskey, Hagrid noticed. Arthur had apparently been drinking a lot since he was capable of drinking that much in an hour with only showing minimal signs of intoxication.

"Arthur," Hagrid addressed as he came to stand next to the troubled man.

Arthur looked at Hagrid, startled that someone he knew was there. He gave the half-giant a curt nod without saying a word and returned to his drink.

But he wasn't getting rid of Hagrid that easily. "Arthur, what are yeh doin' here? Yeh should be at home, with yer family."

"Hagrid, it is none of your business why I'm here or what I should or should not be doing," was Arthur's blunt reply.

Hagrid was taken aback by Arthur's tone. He wasn't sure what caused this sudden rudeness. He hadn't seen Arthur since Fred's funeral and he'd never been around the man when he was drunk, so this change in Arthur's personality could have been because of the war and his son's death or due to the fact that he was intoxicated. Hagrid would have to be stern with him either way.

"Well, I'm makin' it my business," he said roughly. "Charlie told me what's been goin' on, how you've been drinkin' and actin' lately. So, I'm tellin' yeh to get yer act together and go home ter Molly an' yer kids, Arthur."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"I will when yer actin' the way yeh are."

Arthur turned and locked eyes with Hagrid. "Fine. I would, but I can't…especially not now."

"Yeh can't, my arse," Hagrid retorted. "There ain't nobody stoppin' yeh from goin' home." His voice boomed throughout the pub, bringing everyone's attention to the red-headed man and the half-giant at the bar.

Arthur stood abruptly, swaying slightly and knocking the stool over as he did so. " _Look,_ you don't know what's happened or what I've been through, so I _suggest_ you stay out of it," he snarled.

"I was only tryin' ter help," Hagrid replied indignantly.

"Oi!" Aberforth interrupted the confrontation. "I'm goin' to have to ask you two to leave if yeh don't settle down."

Arthur downed the rest of his firewhiskey in one large gulp and said, "That's fine, I was just leaving anyway," before storming out of the pub. Hagrid stayed a few more minutes.

When Hagrid left the pub, it was dusky outside and the street lamps had cut on. As he looked down the side street, he saw a man leaning against a building, but could not determine his identity due to the shadow cast on his face by a nearby streetlamp. The man was not looking at him, but staring at the ground

"'Ello?" Hagrid called, approaching cautiously. It was still dangerous to approach unidentified witches and wizards because there were still Death Eaters loose.

The man raised his head and looked at Hagrid. He relaxed as he recognized the man as Arthur Weasley, but he was still apprehensive because of their encounter a few moments ago.

"Look, I'm sorry." Arthur was the first to speak. "I understand you were trying to help…but you don't know the situation, and I don't want to talk about it."

"That's alrigh'. I shouldn't've been in yer business. But yeh know yeh can trust me if yeh do want ter talk about it."

"Thank you, Hagrid…I'll just say Molly and I got into an argument – well, a fight, really – the biggest one we've ever had, then…she told me to leave." He would not elaborate…He was still too ashamed of himself.

"Yeh need ter try an' fix it."

"I know, but the kids keep getting in the way and won't let me near her. They, especially, wouldn't let me talk to her if I show up drunk."

Hagrid gave Arthur a quizzical look. Whatever Arthur had done must have been terrible. He thought back to what Charlie had told him about Arthur hitting the wall and always drinking. Could he have gotten drunk and hit Molly? Surely not, but the only way of knowing is if Arthur told him.

"Well, yer their father, so yeh have authority over them to let yeh do what yeh want, and Rosmerta has some Sober Up Potion, so –"

"- Hagrid, I'm afraid it's not that easy. The kids are behaving according to the way Molly and I raised them, and they're acting like true Gryffindors. What they're doing is," Arthur stopped. He never thought he'd have to say this in his entire life, "They're protecting Molly…from me."

Hagrid was shocked. He never thought he would ever hear Arthur Weasley say anything along those lines.

When Hagrid didn't respond, Arthur continued, "I hurt her. I actually hurt the woman I love. – Not physically," he added, "Well, almost physically. Merlin, how could I do that?" He squatted, put his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands as realization hit him again.

Hagrid took a knee next to Arthur and gently placed a dustbin lid sized hand on his shoulder, nearly knocking him off balance. "Bu' yeh didn' though, did yeh? Yeh can fix this," he said reassuringly.

Arthur slid his hands up his face and through his hair to rest them on the back of his neck. "No, I didn't, but I'm not sure if I would've stopped if the kids hadn't stepped in. I won't even be able to trust myself around her…You didn't see how scared she was. She was terrified…terrified of _me_."

"Yeh can't think like tha'. Yeh have ter at least try to fix this. Yeh can't just give up. Yer goin' ter stop drinkin' an' yeh won' have to worry abou' that."

"...But I've lost my temper before, and I was completely sober when that happened. And what if I can't stop drinking? Or if Molly doesn't give me another chance?"

"That's in the past, yer goin' ter do yer best, and I'm sure she will," Hagrid answered. "An' yeh know where ter find me if yeh need help."

Arthur nodded, and both men stood. "Alright. You're right. Let's get that potion from Rosmerta and I'll see what I can do."

Hagrid walked with Arthur to The Three Broomsticks to get the Sober Up Potion. After it took effect, Arthur thanked Hagrid and apparated back to the Burrow.

 **A/N: So there's chapter three. Told y'all there would be a special guest. I'm not sure how I did writing Hagrid's dialogue, though. Hope y'all enjoyed!**

 **Chapter 4 will pick up with Arthur back at the Burrow and Charlie will find out about the fight.**

 **I love, love, love reviews and feedback so please keep 'em coming!**

 **Until next time!**


	4. Telling Charlie

**A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry for the long wait. I went on vacation and took a little break from writing, but I stayed up til nearly 2:00am to finish and update this one.**

 **I worked on some other parts of the story though, so maybe y'all won't have to wait so long for them.**

 **I ended up rewriting this chapter a couple times, and I originally had the next chapter tied into this one, but decided to split it up. So, I know this one is pretty short. Sorry.**

Bill, Ron, and Harry had just sat back down when Charlie came in the front door.

"You're home early," Ron told Charlie.

"Only by a few minutes," Charlie responded while he took off his boots.

Bill looked over his younger brother. "Say, where do you go every day, Charlie?"

"Out," he replied quickly. "So, dinner almost done?"

"Probably in twenty minutes. Where do you go?" Bill repeated.

Charlie pretended he didn't hear his brother's question. "Are we waiting on Dad?" he tried taking the attention off of himself. That was a bad topic to change to, though. because Ron's anger spiked again.

"What? That sorry excuse for a father? Hopefully, we won't have to see him for a while," Ron spat.

"How'd you know he wasn't here?" asked Bill

"I saw him. What did I miss?"

"Where'd you see him at?"

"Hogsmeade," Charlie said, not specifying in order to avoid revealing his own daily activities.

Harry spoke up. "Why were you in Hogsmeade?" It was a friendly inquiry. All he knew about Charlie was that he loved and trained dragons. He was curious what the second oldest Weasley child did when he wasn't around dragons.

"It doesn't matter. We're not talking about me," he snapped. He looked to his older brother for information on the day's events. "Bill?"

Bill thought of a way to put it vaguely to keep Charlie from blowing up. He figured his brother wouldn't take the incident lightly. "He and Mum got into a fight. Then she kicked him out."

"They've been fighting. Why was her reaction so different this time?"

Before Bill could say anything, Ron burst out, "Cause the bastard almost hit her!" The mention of his father angered him, and he couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Hey! Calm down," Charlie commanded, then turned to Bill. "I thought he's been directing his blows at walls."

"Well, he aimed this one at her," Ron answered again, this time more calmly.

"Wait. What? He would never do that." Charlie didn't want to believe what he heard.

"Ron's exaggerating a bit," Bill explained.

"No, I'm not," Ron protested. "You were there. You saw it!"

Bill gave Harry a look that said, "Please get him out of here."

Understanding and thinking quickly, Harry said, "Ron, why don't we degnome the garden before dinner? You enjoy that." It was enjoyable, but it also helped Ron calm down, getting to take his anger out on the pesky creatures.

He looked at his best friend quizzically. "We just finished."

"I'm sure a few found their way back." Harry grabbed his upper arm and pulled him off the couch. "We are degnoming the garden again."

Reluctantly, Ron followed Harry.

Taking a seat on the vacated sofa, Charlie asked, "So?"

Bill gave him an accurate account of the afternoon's events, glancing at the kitchen door every so often to make sure their mum wasn't about walk in. The last thing he wanted to do was get her upset again.

After Bill finished, Charlie sat quietly with his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands, processing what he had just learned.

Bill watched him closely, trying to determine his mood and what was going on inside his head. He hoped his little brother wouldn't explode with rage; he knew Charlie, Ron, Ginny, and their mum had the worst tempers of all the Weasleys.

Everything that had just been relayed to him was difficult to comprehend. His dad was always laid back and the least violent person he ever knew. Well, up until recently anyway. But he never imagined his father even threatening to lay a single finger on his mum. The thought of _anyone_ daring to do such a thing angered him. This was his father, though, the man who was supposed to love and _protect_ his mother…

This made Charlie furious.

Apparently he was doing a great job at controlling his emotions because Bill couldn't read him like he usually could.

"Charlie?" he asked cautiously.

"Hmm?" He raised his eyebrows, but continued staring at the coffee table.

"What are you thinking?" Bill prompted his brother.

Charlie leaned back. "I'm thinking he doesn't even care. I saw him at the Hog's Head getting wasted…Next time I see him…" he trailed off then took a deep breath.

George came down the stairs. Having heard Charlie's last statement, he said, "I think he does care, and that's why he went to the pub. You think maybe you should hear his side of the story before judging and making assumptions? He was really upset before he left."

Bill crossed his arms and looked at him with a disbelieving expression. He scoffed. "George, you're also making assumptions, and you didn't even see it."

"I am not. You told me what happened and I heard what occurred from both Dad and Mum after the fact because these walls are paper thin and neither of them cast silencing charms. I'm just not making any presumptions before I hear both sides."

"So, you're actually condoning his behavior?" Charlie said incredulously.

George sighed in frustration. "Neither of you listen…Is dinner almost ready?"

Bill checked his watch. "Should be."

George left his brothers. He didn't want to hear any more of what they had to say about their father and he wanted to check up on his mum.

"What does Ginny think? She's not as naïve as George, is she?" he asked Bill. "Well, she is 'Daddy's Little Girl', though. He can do no wrong in her eyes," he mused.

"Ginny is," Bill said slowly. "She's confused. Ginny believes what George said, but I think she knows it was highly possible Dad wouldn't have stopped…She'll come to her own conclusion soon enough.

"She better come to the sensible conclusion," Charlie muttered.

The kitchen door swung open, startling both young men. Molly stepped into the sitting room with a smile on her face.

"Oh. Good, Charlie, you're home," she said cheerfully. "Get cleaned up. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Bill, will you find Ron and Harry and let them know?"

Her two oldest sons stood to do as asked.

"Sure, Mum," Bill said before heading to the garden to gather his youngest brother and his best friend.

Charlie hesitated, though. Instead he went over to his Mum and wrapped her in a big hug. At the same time, he was surprised by her demeanor but he expected it.

He stepped back and held her at arm's length, looking her over and smiling a little when he didn't find any evidence of harm. He couldn't think why anyone would want to hurt this woman; all she ever did was love and care for her family, even now she put on a happy face when everyone knew how she really felt.

His smile broadened. "Love you, Mum," he said quietly, his love for his mother causing his anger toward his father to temporarily subside.

"I love you too, Char," she replied, beaming back at him. "Now go get cleaned up. You're always filthy when you get home," she repeated, patting his arm.

"Okay. Be down in a few," he called back as he took the steps two at a time.

 **A/N: Thanks for waiting. Hope it turns out to be worth it later on. I promise the next chapter will be up by this Friday! It's already written, so all I have to do is proof read and edit it.**

 **I know Charlie's reaction was a little calm…but just wait for Chapter 5.**

 **I love reviews! And I love to hear what y'all think and getting some input. So, please review!**

 **Phoenix Rising, Percy will show up!** **You just have to wait a couple more chapters for it.**


	5. Punches Are Thrown

**Punches Are Thrown**

Dinner was not as boisterous an affair as usual. Everyone had to watch what they said to avoid setting off tempers or upsetting Molly. They attempted light conversation in order to have a somewhat normal dinner.

Everyone was finishing desert when a pop of apparition filled the quiet house. As one they all looked out the window to see Arthur pulling the garden gate together behind him.

Charlie was the first outside. The sight of his father brought his temper back in full force. Bill, Ron, and Ginny were close behind him; Bill out of concern that Charlie would do something rash, and Ron, like Charlie, out of anger towards his father. Ginny had taken into account what Bill and Ron had said earlier and was now leaning more toward their point of view on the situation.

Charlie pulled out his wand as he approached his father. "How dare you? I swear if you don't leave right now…" Charlie snarled.

Ron and Ginny outran Bill and reached their father seconds after Charlie had. Ron had his wand aimed at his father, also. Even though she was only sixteen, Ginny drew her wand but didn't aim it; she would use magic if she felt it necessary - It's not like she would be expelled for underage magic after fighting in a major battle against Voldemort, right?

Bill thought it best to hang back a few feet to see what would pan out. He was half hoping one of his siblings would hit their dad with a hex, but he promised himself he would step in before things got too heated. Molly and George were the last out of the house. They both decided to hang back with Bill. Harry, Hermione, and Fleur stayed in the house.

With three wands pointing at him Arthur backed up against the gate, dropping his bag and holding his hands up in surrender.

"Kids, please just put your wands away."

"Why don't you make us?" Ron threatened.

"I'm not going to raise my wand against my own children," Arthur said indignantly.

"So you'll raise your hand against your wife but won't' raise your wand against your kids?" Charlie said.

"Well, actually, I don't think he meant to," George chimed in.

"Just tell us why you're here," Bill said. "None of us want to see you,"

"I'm just here to talk to your mother," Arthur said calmly, lowering his hands and relaxing a little.

"I don't believe this! You think you can do what you did, go out to a pub for a few hours, and expect us to let you talk to her? You're even more drunk now than you were!" Charlie accused.

"Okay. I'm not going to deny that, but I'm not drunk right now," Arthur defended himself.

""Don't lie! I saw you! You were drinking firewhiskey like it was water."

"Hagrid talked some sense into me and I took a Sober Up potion before coming here. I'm thinking clearly now –"

"- But you didn't even care that you hurt Mum -" Arthur's face paled at the sound of these words; sure everything was a bit fuzzy, but he didn't think he had actually hurt her. "- All you could think about was getting hammered."

"No, I – what," Arthur's voice was faint. He looked over Ginny's head at Molly. "M-Molly, I - I – but – I _actually_ hurt you?"

Molly nodded slightly, tears glistening in her eyes. This was all very upsetting, hearing what Charlie had just said, remembering what happened earlier that day, seeing how distressed Arthur was.

"If you can't even remember what you did then you really better leave," Ginny said.

Arthur didn't take his eyes off Molly. "No, I remember what I did. I just didn't think I actually hurt you. I didn't mean to, honestly. Molly, I'm sorry. I know I've been saying that a lot lately, but you have to believe me, I really am sorry." His voice grew thicker the more he spoke.

"That's what scares me, Arthur. I know you don't mean to, but you keep doing this and you keep apologizing and it keeps getting worse. You are always either drunk, or angry, or both. That seems to be the only emotion you ever show anymore…You're not the man I married." Molly took a deep breath. "This can't keep happening. I can't keep doing this, Arthur." Molly couldn't look at him a minute longer. She turned and headed back to the house.

Arthur swallowed hard. "Molly. Molly," he called after his wife, but she didn't stop. "I want to fix this, for good! I don't want to do this anymore either. Help me change, Molly, please. I don't want to throw away thirty years over this."

Molly disappeared into the house. She couldn't help thinking about what Arthur said. Did he really want to fix things? Did he really want to change? Should she trust him? He had already blown several chances she had given him.

"Molly! Please!"

He tried shoving past his kids, but before he could get past them, something hard collided with his abdomen. He fell backward onto the ground, clutching his stomach. He had just enough time to see George pull Ron back before his second oldest son lunged at him.

"Can you not leave her alone?" he growled.

Arthur tried shielding himself from his son's fists.

"Stop. Get – off!"

Finally, Bill and Ginny were able to wrestle Charlie off their Dad. George was still holding on to Ron.

Bill turned to his brothers. "What the hell was that?!"

"He deserves it!" Charlie panted.

"Yeah. He better be glad I only got to hit him once. He'd be a lot worse if George hadn't grabbed me," Ron said as he yanked his arm free from his brother's grasp.

"Whether you think he deserves it or not, you don't go through with it!" Bill scolded them.

"He's lucky I didn't use my wand. He'd probably be in Mungo's by now," Charlie said under his breath.

"Just go inside. _Now_ ," Bill barked.

Ron and Charlie did as they were told with one last glowering look at their father.

Bill, George, and Ginny turned back to their dad. He was leaning on an elbow and gingerly touched side of his face with his other hand. Blood trickled down from his temple, his lip was busted, and his nose was broken. The few punches Charlie got in did quite a bit of damage, not to mention his gut still hurt from Ron's hit.

George walked over to give his dad a hand up.

"Thank you, Son," Arthur grunted as he stood up and brushed himself off.

"You're welcome, Dad."

As Arthur turned to his eldest, he saw Molly through the kitchen window and they held each other's gaze for a few seconds,

"Bill, please let me talk to her. I really do want to fix this."

"I find that hard to believe. Besides, I don't think that's a very good idea, what with Ron and Charlie, and I'm with them on this. I don't think Mum wants to talk to you right now either."

"But – Bill, you don't understand how important this is to me."

"Important like all the other times you apologized and promised it wouldn't happen again?" Ginny scoffed.

"No, I really mean it this time. I've never actually hurt her before. It's never gone this far – it _shouldn'_ t have gone this far."

"No, sorry, but no. It did go this far, and if you come round again, I won't stop them. Now, I suggest you leave… and don't come back."

"At least tell me how bad I hurt her. I know I didn't hit her."

"You left a bruise where you grabbed her wrist and you scared her pretty bad." Bill started for the house before pausing and turning around. "Oh, and she cried in her room for an hour, too." He wanted to make his dad feel as bad as possible.

Arthur began pacing, running his fingers through his hair.

"Merlin, how could I do this?" he muttered. "I love her, and I hurt her. This is so screwed up and it's all because of me!" Arthur kicked the garden gate. "I'm not even able to fix it!"

"Dad."

Arthur gave a start at the sound of his son's voice; he forgot George and Ginny were still with him/

"It'll be okay. I know you didn't mean to. Look, I'll help you, but probably shouldn't try tonight, you know, tempers."

"Thanks, George, but you didn't even see what happened. How do you know I didn't mean to. I'm not even sure if I would've stopped," Arthur added quietly.

"They told me what happened, and I know you'd never hurt Mum on purpose. You should know that, too. There's no reason for you to question it. Besides, you love her too much."

"Right, you're right." Arthur nodded and blew out a deep breath.

"Here, Dad, let me fix your nose," Ginny said.

Arthur faced his only daughter, trusting that she wouldn't mess his nose up worse.. She pointed her wand at his nose and said, " _Episkey_ ".He rubbed his nose after it fixed itself.

"I thought you were mad at me too?" Arthur asked Ginny, confused.

"Well, I am, kind of. I'm on the line between the two…You promise this will _never_ happen again, unlike all the other times you said it wouldn't?"

"Yes," Arthur answered honestly.

"You really want to fix things?"

"Yes."

"Not gonna drink anymore?"

"No, I'm not."

"Gonna get your temper in check?"

"I'll do my best."

"You're being completely honest?"

"Yes, I promise. Completely honest."

"Alright, I'll help you too." She looked at George, "We'll have to be careful not to set anyone off, though."

George nodded.

"Thank you so much, both of you. Well, I see Bill and Charlie looking out the window now. I guess I need to go." Arthur picked up his bag and opened the gate.

"Wait, where are you staying?" George asked.

"I don't know. Hogsmeade is full up. I guess I'll check the Leaky Cauldron."

"Okay. Just be careful."

Ginny nodded in agreement. It was mostly safe, but there were still dark wizards loose.

"I will. Love you, guys."

"Love you," they responded in unison.

Arthur turned and disapparated into the cool night air.


	6. The Prodigal Son

**The Prodigal Son**

Arthur checked if the Leaky Cauldron had any rooms, but they were also full. Tom, the bartender, had said all the Muggle inns in the area were full too, so Arthur didn't bother checking them.

Having no clue as to where he would go, Arthur set off down Diagon Alley, watching his feet as he walked. Diagon Alley had been restored and most shops had opened back up, but most were closed for the night and the cobblestoned street contained a trickle of shoppers and people going home from work.

When he finally stopped and looked up, he saw that he had walked all the way down to the joke shop. It looked odd being dark and closed up, not touched for weeks. He wondered if George would ever be able to go back now that Fred was gone. It was difficult for him to even stand there, so he set off again before his thoughts and the sight of the joke shop got to be too much.

Arthur wasn't looking where he was going when he bumped into a young man with red hair and glasses.

Arthur looked up distractedly at the stranger. "Oh, excuse me."

It took a minute for each to register who they were seeing. Once they realized who the other was, their attitudes changed immediately, and both stood tall and rigid.

"Father," Percy said pompously, giving a curt nod.

"Percy," Arthur replied with a stiff tone.

He began to walk away when Percy's voice stopped him.

"Wait…D-Dad is it too late?" Percy hated how childish his voice sounded then.

Arthur turned slowly, taken aback, to face his son. "You…you called me Dad." Percy hadn't called him that since he was in his third year at Hogwarts. The past few years it had always been Father. Arthur hated it every time Percy called him Father.

Percy nodded.

He studied his son before asking, "Is what too late?"

"Coming back. I was stupid and a git. You were right – all of you were right. I've regretted leaving, and I've been wanting to come back, but I've always felt it was too late. Almost everyone in the family has almost died since then and Fred –" Percy swallowed hard and finished quietly "- Fred did."

"No, it's not too late. Son, it would never be too late. You should've known that."

Percy walked over to his Dad and they held each other in a tight embrace, tears springing to both of their eyes.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I really am. I-I love you."

"I love you too, Son. I played a part in all of this too, so it was as much my fault as it was yours."

They both hastily wiped their eyes when they pulled back.

"How's everyone holding up, by the way?"

"It's been rough." Arthur cleared his throat. "Especially on George."

"And Mum?"

"Well, you know you're mother. She's been keeping busy, trying to distract herself."

"What about you?"

"I'm fine," Arthur replied unconvincingly.

Percy nodded, though not believing his father.

After a short, awkward silence, Percy asked, "Are you alright?" gesturing to Arthur's bloodied face, stretched shirt, and the black bag he was carrying.

"Yes – I mean, I'll be fine." He waved off Percy's concern.

"Will you tell me what happened? Why you're out here so late. Why you're carrying a bag."

"No – no, I don't really want to talk about it." Arthur replied while scratching the back of his neck, avoiding his son's gaze.

"Come on, you can tell me, I mean I know I've not been around but…" Percy gently urged his father.

"It's not you, Perce. It's just…I'm ashamed of myself is all," Arthur mumbled.

"Oh, okay," Percy looked downcast. "Well, I guess you should get home and get all that taken care of."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right," Arthur said distractedly. "I'm glad we could work this out. I'm sure everyone else will be happy you're back."

"Do you think I could come by for a few minutes, tonight?"

"R-right now?" Arthur stuttered.

"Yeah. Is there something wrong with that? I mean, I don't have to tonight. I just wanted to see everyone, especially Mum. I was real ugly toward her –"

Arthur cut off his son's rambling, "No – I mean – it's just – well – I'm not going back to the Burrow tonight." He didn't want Percy to feel unwelcome, but he didn't want to tell him what happened either.

"What do you mean? Where are you going?" This didn't make any sense to Percy. Why wouldn't his father go home, especially after getting a beating like that.

Arthur thought for a moment, trying to figure out what to say without telling Percy about the fight. "It's not that I don't want to. It's that I…can't." He said this last word quietly. "And I'm not sure where I'm going, because everywhere is full."

"So that's why you have a bag." Things were starting to make sense to Percy, but not completely. Why was he all beaten up? Why couldn't he go home? What had he done to be so ashamed?

Arthur nodded.

"Dad, please tell me what happened."

He could tell Percy wasn't going to let this go and he would find out eventually, so he decided to get it over with, "Alright, but not out here. I don't want to be overheard."

"Well, my flat is just over there," Percy pointed to a green building down the road. He led the way to his flat. "And you can stay with me too, if you want."

"Thanks, Perce, but I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Why not?"

"The family's a bit divided on this. I just don't want to put you in the middle like this and risk you not being welcomed back by everyone."

"Let me hear your side of the story and decide for myself, then we'll figure out where you're staying."

Arthur and Percy entered the flat a few minutes later. It was a nice little flat with a sitting room, one bedroom, a bathroom, and a kitchen with a small table. It looked like Percy was making a decent living.

"Dad, why don't you get cleaned up then we can talk. The bathroom is just through there." Percy pointed to a door across the flat.

Arthur got cleaned up and changed then joined his son at the small, round kitchen table.

"You look a lot better," Percy said. "You want some firewhiskey or butterbeeer or something?" Percy asked, walking over to the cabinet.

Arthur hesitated before replying, "No, thanks." Then added under his breath, "That's what got me into this mess."

"What do you mean 'that's what got me into this mess'?" Percy asked while sitting back down across from his father.

Father and son sat in silence. Arthur was trying to piece together what had happened that afternoon. He wasn't completely certain of the events that had led to his banishment from the Burrow – just that he had almost hit Molly.

Finally, Percy broke the silence, "Dad, what happened?" he asked, looking at his father inquisitively.

Arthur took a deep breath. "To be honest with you, I'm not exactly sure."

Percy scoffed. "How can you not be sure? It was just a few hours ago –"

"Yes, it was a few hours ago, Percy, but I was _drunk_." He paused, ashamed of what he was about to confess, "I have been almost all the time when I've been at home the past couple weeks."

"But, Dad, why? I've ever only seen you drink at social gatherings, and that was two butterbeers at most."

"Well, I began drinking a bit more after you left the family. I would just get so angry with you, with myself I just wanted to forget what happened even if it was just for the moment. As time went on, I didn't drink as much. But with time other events took place, and I would have a drink to relax…It was never a problem until these past couple weeks."

"…What caused it to be a problem?"

"Like I said downstairs, Fred's death has been quite hard on us all. I did my best to hold the family together, but it was all in vain. No matter how hard I tried, I failed at bringing back some sense of normalcy. As the head of the family, it is my job to protect the family, hold everyone together, and be strong when no one else can be…..and I failed at all of those things. I was unable to perform any of my patriarchal duties successfully. It was too hard for me to see my family in the state it has been in, and I got tired of having to constantly put on a façade. So I've been spending most of the time in my shed drinking whenever I've been at home."

Hearing this caused Percy to feel sorry for his dad. His dad felt like he had to be strong for the entire family, and felt that if he couldn't then he was failing his duties to the family. Percy placed his hand on top of his father's and looked him in the eyes, "Dad, no one expects you to be strong. We lost a brother, and _both_ Mum _and_ you lost a son. No one could have stopped that from happening. You haven't failed anything or anyone, and you need your own time to grieve too."

Arthur thought about his son's words for a moment then nodded. "I guess you're right. I haven't really thought about that. Thanks, Perce."

"Well, they wouldn't have kicked you out just for drinking. What did you do?" he asked tentatively.

Arthur leaned forward and put his face in his hands. Tears were stinging his eyes when he looked up at Percy. "We had a big fight and I almost –" He couldn't quite bring himself to say it - "I almost hit her." A solitary tear escaped and rolled down his cheek. "She was terrified…and I'm the one who caused her fear. I'm the one she was scared of."

"Oh, Dad," Percy breathed.

"That's not even the first time. There have been a couple other occasions where I got angry and hit the wall, but none of those were ever this bad and she had never been scared, just upset. She's been trying to help me and get me to talk about what's bothering me, but I'm not ready to talk and she doesn't understand that."

Percy was speechless. He had never known his father to be a violent man. His father was always loving, gentle, and open, not harsh and closed off. He stared at his father over the next few minutes, trying to understand. This made Arthur nervous.

"Please say something."

"You said everyone was divided on this?"

Arthur nodded.

"Why?"

"Ron, Charlie, and Bill think I would've actually hit her. George and Ginny don't. I'm not sure where your mum stands, though she did kick me out."

"Would you?"

"Would I what?"

"Have hit her."

"I'm…I'm not sure."

Percy continued to ask his dad a series of questions which were answered in detail. Arthur also went over what had been going on since the final battle and what had taken place that afternoon from start to finish, but avoiding talking about his feelings. This conversation spanned the next hour until Percy was satisfied and had no more questions.

Percy sat back and crossed his arms. He had come to his own conclusion.

"No." It was all he said.

"I understand."

Arthur grabbed his bag and headed for the door. Percy didn't move.

"No, you wouldn't have hit her."

Arthur stopped in the middle of turning the doorknob.

"I don't think you meant anything you said or did. I'll try to help, and you can stay here until this is all sorted."

"How you came to that conclusion, I don't know," Arthur said as he sat back down at the table, "but thank you."

"Tomorrow, I'll go over and talk to Mum. But, if you keep drinking and if I feel like you're not trying to fix this then I'll have to ask you to leave, and I will have to take Ron, Bill, and Charlie's side of this."

"You won't have to worry about that -"

Just then there was a light knock on the door.

 **A/N: Phoenix Rising, there's you some Percy. Sorry it took a while. Hope you enjoyed it. And there's more Percy to come!**


	7. Getting Better?

**Getting Better?**

Molly Weasley took a deep breath as she stood in the narrow hallway, her fist hovering in front of the door.

She had to sneak out of her own house; it was quite pathetic really, sneaking out of your own house. It's not like her kids could control where she went or what she did, but they would have asked questions and if they had known what she was doing they would have never allowed her to leave.

This was the last and least likely place she could think of that could possibly have any contact with her husband. Everywhere else she had searched was a miss – all the pubs, inns, and open shops she could think of. She doubted he would have gone to a friend's house or back to the Ministry.

Well, if Arthur wasn't here she could at least make amends with her son, even though, now she thought about it, he would have come back by now if he wanted to. She had to try at least, and if everything worked out, she could get him to check on his dad at work the next day.

Finally, she knocked.

There was no answer.

She knocked again, this time a bit harder.

Now a familiar voice answered from the other side. "Who's there?"

"It's me," Molly called back, hesitating from fear of his reaction before adding, "Your mum."

It took several seconds before the door opened slowly to reveal her estranged son, tall and handsome, and so grown up. She had to resist her instinctive urge to give him one of her legendary bear hugs, not wanting to get pushed away and hurt again. Percy would have to make the first move.

"M-Mum," he said nervously, glancing at something hidden by the door. "Um. What are – What are you doing here?"

Suspecting she had interrupted something, perhaps with a girl, she said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had a visitor."

"No, you didn't interrupt anything. Is everything okay? How are you?"

"Um, yes. I'm fine. Actually, I had a favor to ask you."

"Wait. There's something I need to say first." He paused. "I'm sorry. I really am. Can you ever forgive –"

Before Percy could finish, his mum enveloped him in one of the biggest hugs he had ever gotten.

"Of course, of course." She stepped back and took his cheek in her hand. "You don't know how long I've wanted this."

"You don't know how long I've wanted to come back….but, uh, anyway. You had a favor to ask?"

Molly's cheerfulness faded almost immediately. It was clear something was really bothering her, and Percy thought he knew what.

"I was wondering if you could check on your father at work tomorrow. We had a fight this afternoon and I –"

"I know," Percy interrupted.

"What?"

"I know. I ran into him outside – quite literally, I might add. But, do you not want to check on him yourself?" Percy glanced behind the door again. There was definitely something going on that Molly didn't know about, but she ignored it.

"You saw him? How is he? I've looked everywhere for him, but I haven't had any luck."

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Just then Arthur appeared in the doorway behind Percy.

"I didn't think you wanted to see me."

"I…overreacted."

"No, you didn't. That's exactly how you should've reacted."

Percy silently excused himself back into his flat in order to give his parents some privacy.

"I am truly sorry, Molly. What I did was…"

"Of course you are, and of course it won't happen again." Molly dismissed his apology. This had happened enough by now that she knew exactly what he was going to say. "Just come home. And let's work things out this time."

Arthur swallowed. "You know I'm not ready to talk about everything yet."

"We don't have to talk about everything. We can start with what you said in the shed."

Arthur turned his attention to his feet.

"I thought about what you said. We're not going to throw away thirty years, but in order to do that we have to talk." Molly lifted her husband's chin to look her in the eyes. "Whatever is bothering you is causing this. So, come home and let's fix this, once and for all."

He opened his mouth to protest but apparently thought twice about what he was going to say when Molly gave him a reassuring look. Instead, he nodded his head and agreed.

"It's too late to talk about things now, so the two of you come over after work tomorrow. I'll let the kids know what's going on, and we'll work everything out then."

"I'm not talking with them about what I said. Just you."

"We're not talking to them about that. We're going to talk about Percy," Molly lied. Their kids needed to know what was bothering their dad in order for anything to change. Maybe they even had some similar feelings about the last few weeks.

ooOoo

Whatever Molly had told her children, it worked. Although dinner was tense, everyone was civil and attempted light conversation. Percy was quickly accepted back by all his siblings, though Ron took a little longer. It was clear Ron, Charlie, and Bill did not want their father there; Ron and Charlie refused to even look at their father if they could help it.

After what felt like hours, dinner was finally over.

"Okay," Molly said as she cleared the table with the wave of her wand. "We've all had a rough go of it these last few weeks, and we've each coped with things in our own way. But it doesn't seem we've thought about how our actions affect each other."

Arthur thought he knew where this was headed...and he was right.

Molly continued. "Your father has –"

"Oh, don't go making excuses for him," Ron blurted.

Arthur leaned over to his wife and hissed in her ear, "I'm not talking to them about this. You said we wouldn't talk to them about this."

"That's the only way to fix this, Arthur," she hissed back.

"Well, you can fix it without me. I'll be upstairs." Arthur began to stand but Molly grabbed his hand.

"No, you're staying here." She gave him one of those you-have-no-choice looks. and he immediately sat back down, sinking as far into his wooden chair as possible.

She turned back to the rest of her family. "Look, I'm not making excuses for anyone. It's just about time that some sense of normalcy returned. There are several things that need to be discussed."

Opposed to other family meetings that usually lasted no more than twenty minutes, this one spanned an hour, much to Arthur's chagrin. No matter what was discussed, Arthur knew this meeting was centered around him. Charlie finally told his family that he went to help rebuild the castle every day, Bill and Fleur said they were planning on moving back to Shell Cottage within the month, and George confessed he wasn't quite ready to reopen the joke shop even though it was no secret. By the end of the meeting, everyone realized how their actions were affecting not only their father but their siblings as well, and they all agreed getting back to normal as much as possible was the best solution to these problems.

Things were finally looking up…or so it seemed.


	8. The Lost Child

**A/N: FINALLY, ANOTHER CHAPTER! I'm soooo sorry I haven't updated in a couple months. I've had some personal things going on and have had to work through some stuff, but I'm back now. I hope y'all are still interested in what happens. We still have a ways to go. I'm really excited to be back!**

 **Here's chapter 8(?). It's a nice Arthur-George chapter.**

 **Warning: Mention of miscarriage.**

 **The Lost Child**

Rolling over in bed, Arthur groaned as he read the clock on the bedside table.

2:23 a.m.

He had been lying awake for nearly four hours. This is how it had been since he had returned home five nights ago.

Thinking about it, this shouldn't be happening at all. Everything should be getting better now that things seemed to have been worked out; Percy was welcomed back, they knew where Charlie was off to every day, all the other kids were doing their best at getting back to normal, and Arthur stopped drinking completely and did his best to keep his attitude in check…but something just wasn't right.

Molly didn't stir as Arthur got out of bed and slipped out of the room. Ever since they got married, one would wake when the other got up, but since a month ago neither sensed the other's absence. For the first time in thirty years, the perfect couple was out of sync.

With a flick of his wand, Arthur turned on a lamp in the kitchen then fixed two cups of hot tea. George would be joining him any minute now. Where Arthur would get sick of lying in bed around 2:30, George would get bored around 2:45. No one knew George had trouble sleeping until he startled his dad a few nights ago. So, father and son would sit at the kitchen table, sipping their tea and hardly saying a word. It's not that George didn't want to talk, but he could clearly see his dad didn't want to be bothered. Tonight would be a bit different, though.

"Dad?" George asked quietly, looking over at his father.

"Hmm?" Arthur didn't lift his gaze from his mug.

"I'm worried about you."

"I don't know why…Things are getting back on track."

"Things might be, but that doesn't mean you're getting better.. Around everyone else you smile and act as if everything is okay again, and they all believe it. But I see what no one else does, because you don't bother hiding it this late at night."

Arthur knew George was right. He had gone back to putting on a façade, but when he was alone, he took the mask off. The only reason he let his guard down around George was because he was too tired to keep up the act.

Arthur sighed then asked, "You haven't told anyone, have you?"

"No," George said because his father still wasn't looking at him. "But you need to at least talk to Mum about whatever this is."

Arthur didn't respond, so George put his empty mug in the sink and went back to his bedroom. He still had a question for his dad, but that would have to wait for another night.

 **ooOoo**

The next two nights were spent like the first few: sipping their tea and not saying anything then going back to bed to finally fall asleep. Arthur thought about what George said, but he couldn't talk to anyone about what was bothering him, not even his Mollywobbles. It was evident to George that his parents still hadn't discussed this, because his dad's behavior hadn't changed any; in fact, it seemed to be getting even worse.

After half an hour of silence, George finally spoke up to ask what he'd been wanting to for a while.

"Dad…How long will this last?" he asked quietly.

Arthur wasn't sure what his son was getting at; he assumed it was about his own behavior, so his tone was a bit rough when he responded. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you and Mum have both lost brothers and other people you've cared about. I was just wondering how long I'll feel like this…If I'll ever go a day without missing him…If things will get easier."

As George clarified, he gained his father's full attention. Arthur wasn't expecting this; however, he should have realized one of his kids would eventually ask this. He set his tea down and stared at it for a moment before looking back at George.

The pained expression on his dad's face caused George to think perhaps he had asked the wrong parent. He knew this topic would upset his Mum, but he wasn't anticipating this reaction from his dad.

"To be honest with you, Son, it may never get easier." Arthur's voice was faint as he spoke. "The pain of losing someone eventually fades, but you may find yourself thinking about your brother or missing him nearly every day." He looked back at his tea. "I know I have, for twenty-three years."

George barely heard the last thing his father said; perhaps he wasn't supposed to have heard it. He made a few quick calculations in his head. No one in the family had died around that time. He knew most of his family's history, and it's hard to keep secrets with so many people. Gossip and stories were the main topics of conversation at all family get-togethers, so at some point he would have heard something that would give a reason for his dad's current mood. But he either couldn't think of it or was completely in the dark. Curiosity got the best of George.

"Who were you talking about?" George ventured, hoping he hadn't crossed a line.

Arthur thought for a few minutes, uncertain on if he should tell George the truth. The only people who had known were him and Molly, their parents, and Bill and Charlie, which the kids most likely didn't remember. Something urged him to open up. It had been so long since he had talked about it, he really needed to get it off his chest. He couldn't bring himself to look at his son, though.

"You have an older sister." Arthur drew in a shaky breath. "Well, you should."

George was speechless

"…She was stillborn, and after all was said and done, we agreed never to talk about her. And that worked for a while."

Even though Arthur fell silent, George sensed he really needed to talk about it now. He wanted to know more also. "What was her name?"

"Gracie." He hadn't spoken her name since he and Molly had decided to pretend nothing had happened. It felt nice to finally say her name again.

"That's a pretty name. I like it."

Arthur nodded, not trusting himself to speak. A lump had suddenly formed in is throat.

"Is that why there's four years between Charlie and Percy?"

"She'd be turning twenty-four this month."

Arthur couldn't hold it in any longer – He broke down. The only thing George knew to do was hold his dad tight, and Arthur clinged to his son. It was a long time before he could pull himself together, but that's what two decades of built up emotions does. George didn't let go until his dad did.

Arthur took several deep breaths and dried his face with his sleeve. "Sorry about that," he muttered. "I think I'll go back to bed."

"Dad," George stopped him before he could stand. "There's nothing to be sorry for. That must have been terrible to go through. And not talking about it probably didn't help any either. If you still need to talk, neither of us will be sleeping any time soon anyway."

They sat in silence until Arthur felt he could speak without bursting into tears again.

"Years passed and I barely thought about her, but as you all got older, I found myself wondering more and more often what things would be like, what she would look like, her personality, her career." He paused briefly. "That's the worst part now…not knowing."

"Can I tell what I think? I think Gracie would be a lot like you." Hearing someone else say her name brought tears to Arthur's eyes again; he was able to control it this time though. George wasn't trying to upset his dad more, but it was the truth. With how much Ginny resembled Molly, it was only logical to assume Gracie would be more like Arthur.

"There you are," Molly said softly as she entered the kitchen.

Not bothering to hide his disappointment at this interruption, Arthur said irritably, "Yes, here we are." The first time he had been able to talk about his baby girl who had been taken from him had been abruptly ended by the appearance of his wife.

"What is that you're drinking?" Molly asked.

"Tea," Arthur said casually.

"It's _just_ tea?"

" _Yes_ ," Arthur snapped back. "Do you think I'm lying?"

"I'm not sure what to think these days, especially when I get up to use the bathroom and find you down here every night."

"Mum, it is just tea, and he hasn't been doing anything he shouldn't," George broke in before things could escalate.

"You've been eavesdropping on us," Arthur accused.

"No, I haven't. But maybe I should have been since you're being so defensive."

Before George could open his mouth, Arthur shot him a warning glance. Quickly, George stepped back. This was the last place he wanted to be right now, but even though he trusted his dad, Arthur wasn't watching his temper at the moment.

"Or maybe it's none of your concern. Otherwise, I would wake you up and invite you to join us."

George came to stand behind Arthur and whispered in his ear. "Maybe you should talk to her about this. I said the other night you should talk about whatever's bothering you."

"This isn't what's been bothering me. _Nothing_ is bothering me! And I expect you won't say anything about tonight." Arthur pushed George's hand off his shoulder, mumbled something about going back to bed, and left the kitchen.

George looked at his mum. "You better not try blaming this one on him. Goodnight."

Molly stopped her son as he passed her and looked at him pleadingly. "What were you talking about?"

"Sorry, I'm not telling you. He told me in complete confidence. You know, he may have opened up to you if you hadn't come in here with an attitude." He left Molly by herself to think things over.

George poked his head in his parents' bedroom. Arthur was in the bed, facing away from the door.

"Dad, don't worry. I won't tell anyone."

Arthur didn't move or acknowledge his son.

"And if you ever want to finish that conversation…I'm here."

 **A/N: There you go. Comment and let me know what y'all think. And tell me some things of what y'all want to see in upcoming chapters.**


	9. Hello, Old Friend

**A/N: Woah. Has it really been six months since I've updated? Well, I am sorry for the delay. I love writing but it's a trial to get started sometimes. I do have big plans for this story though. So, please just hang in there and hopefully I won't go another six months without updating.**

 **Thank y'all for all the good reviews and positive vibes. I really appreciate it when y'all give me feedback.**

 **Anyways, enjoy chapter 9(?) of Weasley Family Fallout! And keep reviewing please!**

 **Hello, Old Friend**

The next evening Molly was at the sink while Arthur finished showering. All day Arthur had avoided her, which was fairly easy since he had "work". In order to avoid hitting a nerve, she let him have his way. After nearly nineteen hours of letting him cool off, she decided it had been long enough. Besides, she hated going to bed when either of them were upset.

"So, since you're off tomorrow I was thinking we could all go down to the village. It would be nice to get out of the house for a while," Molly stated casually.

Arthur didn't answer and continued drying.

"And Percy wants us to meet his girlfriend, so they're coming over for dinner," she went on. "He said he would cook and have everyone over, but his flat is too small to hold all of us."

Still ignoring his wife, Arthur began pulling on his pajamas.

Molly, annoyed, turned to face her husband.

"Arthur Weasley, you have ignored me all day. Look, I'm sorry about last night. Is that what you wanted to hear?" she said fiercely.

"I could care less if you apologized. In all honesty, you had every right to be speculative, but it's the way you immediately assumed I was doing something I shouldn't." These were the first words he had spoken to her since the night before, and they were sharp.

"Well, that doesn't mean you can give me the silent treatment all day."

"When you interrupt something that is very important to me, I can," Arthur replied, walking into the bedroom as Molly followed him.

"You always talk to George -"

"It's not who I was talking _to_ , it's who we were talking _about_." At these words, Molly's ferocity dissipated.

"Who were you talking about?" She paused briefly. "Fred?"

"No. Look, it doesn't matter anymore, Arthur said whilst climbing into bed, his wife doing the same.

"Will you at least tell me why I can't know?"

Arthur turned toward her and sat up on one elbow. "Because you don't want to talk about it."

"You don't know that."

"Yes. I do."

"How?" she countered.

"You told me a very long time ago," he answered before rolling back over and flicking his wand to turn the light off.

Arthur huffed in aggravation as the room filled with light once more.

"I may have changed my mind, but neither of us will know for sure unless you tell me."

Arthur sensed this conversation was beginning to turn into an argument, so he got out of bed and grabbed his pillow and wand.

"Where are you going?" Molly inquired.

"To sleep," he snapped. "I advise you to not follow me...Don't bother me in the morning either."

The house was silent, so Ron, Harry, George, and Ginny heard the steps creak before Arthur came into view. They watched quietly as he conjured a thin blanket. George and Harry moved into chairs when Arthur gestured for them to get off the couch.

"Uh...Dad?" Ginny spoke up.

"She won't stop badgering me," he grumbled.

"What did you do to get kicked out of the room?" Ron blurted. "Is she upstairs crying? I swear if you hurt her again..."

"Ron, don't even start," George interrupted.

"I didn't do anything. And I left on my own accord," was Arthur's rebuttal. "Why don't you kids turn in early tonight. You're going into the village in the morning."

"Okay. But are you not going with us?" Ginny asked.

"No, I don't want to go."

"Yeah, that or Mum just wants to get away from you for a few hours." Ron sneered. "I wish she'd just go on and divorce your sorry ass. Half of us don't want you here, including Mum," he finished as he exited the room.

Subconsciously, Arthur clenched his jaw.

"That's not true, Dad. He's just angry still," Ginny reassured, seeing how much Ron's comment had hurt him. "Good night."

George hung back and waited for the others to be out of earshot before saying anything.

"Do you wanna talk?" he asked.

"No."

"In a few hours then?"

"No. I'd just like to be alone tonight," his father answered quietly.

"Alright. 'Night."

OoOoOoOoO

His parents' bedroom light was on when he was passing, so Ron tapped lightly on the door before entering.

Molly looked up from her lap as Ron came to sit next to her on the bed. She hadn't been crying, but she was clearly distraught.

"What did he do?" her son asked gently yet forcefully.

"Nothing. It was my fault. He didn't want to talk and I kept pestering him."

Ron hated it when she blamed herself. She had just recently begun to do that. No matter what she thought, Ron believed everything that had been happening was due to his father.

"None of this is your fault, Mum. You have to stop doing this to yourself. Dad's being an arse."

"Don't talk about your father that way," Molly scolded, a glimmer of her old self peeking through.

"At some point you have to come to realize that he's turned into a total jerk!"

"Go to bed, Ronniekins," George commanded as he entered the room.

With a glowering look, Ron stomped onto the landing and up to his room.

"Hey," George said softly. "You okay?"

His mum nodded.

"Look, he's not even talking to me right now, so give him some time and maybe he'll open up to you."

Molly sighed. "Alright. I just hate seeing him like this," she admitted.

"I know...Now, try and get some sleep." George gave a weak smile.

OoOoOoOoO

After a fitful night's sleep, Molly was the first awake as usual, with the exception of Charlie. Upon entering the sitting room, her heart dropped as a strong stench of alcohol pervaded her nostrils. Before heading to the kitchen to start breakfast, she cast a charm to hide the smell.

Charlie was sitting in the kitchen, sipping on a cup of coffee, and without even a "Good Morning" he said, "Dad's drinking again."

"It was one night," Molly defended her husband.

He set his cup down and leaned forward. "It won't be though. Before you know it he'll be back where he was a week ago."

"Not necessarily -"

"Mum," Charlie interrupted, "you don't need to turn a blind eye to this. As much as you want to deny it, it _will_ keep happening."

"I know. But I wish it wouldn't...Please don't tell anyone about this."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't," he challenged as he leaned back in his chair.

Immediately Molly replied, "Because I'm afraid of what will happen to the family if your brothers and sister find out."

Charlie thought for a while before sighing, and said, "Fine. But I'll be keeping a close eye out, and you have to promise that you'll tell me if he even comes close to hitting you."

"You have my word," his mum promised.

Molly set to cooking breakfast while Charlie kept her company, talking about the progress of repairing Hogwarts and how they should be done in a week or two thanks to the abundance of volunteers. When his mum told him she wasn't expecting him to still be home when she came down, Charlie said he wanted to take a day to spend with his family.

Before long, the aroma of pancakes and sausages filled the house, and everyone was at the table within minutes. They all took heed to Arthur's warning not to bother him, so he was the only one still asleep.

 **A/N: This was a bit short because I wanted to get it up so y'all don't have to go any longer without an update. Hope it was up to par for y'all. I'm planning for Chapter 10 to have a lot of Percy and Percy-Arthur interaction. Also, it's the big family dinner with Percy and his girlfriend.**

 **Hope y'all enjoyed! And I really do appreciate all the feedback.**

 **Also, I hope y'all understand the meaning of this chapter title. If not, let me know.**


	10. Family Dinner

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, Phoenix Rising and persephonella. Like I said, I LOVE reviews.**

 **Phoenix, I like any feedback. You don't know how big of a smile I got from the last one you made. And don't worry about offending me. Say whatever you like. But I think by the end of the story, you are gonna feel sorry for him. (;**

 **Here's Chapter 10! Enjoy! And review please!**

 **Family Dinner**

Having left the kids to their shenanigans in the village, Molly climbed the grassy slope that led to her crooked home.

Arthur was sitting at the kitchen table in his worn out blue house robe when Molly entered.

"Good afternoon, love," she greeted cheerfully as she made her way to the counter.

"Today was beautiful down in the village," she began as she started pulling groceries out of her bag which had an expansion charm on it. "The weather was very nice with a light, cool breeze every once in a while. The kids were about to go meet Percy and his girlfriend in Diagon Alley when I left."

Without a word of acknowledgement, Arthur stood up with his mug, chair scratching the floor, to leave the room.

"Arthur?"

His wife's gentle voice stopped him before he could open the door to the sitting room.

Without facing her, he replied, "I want to be alone." It wasn't an angry or forceful tone he used, but more of a defeated and tired one.

"Love -"

"Goddammit, woman!" he said angrily through gritted teeth. At the same time his mug began a vertical race to the floor where the prize was destruction. It took both of them by surprise as the shattering of porcelain rang throughout the quiet house as neither had expected him to throw it. "Can I not have any fucking time to myself?"

When no words of protest came, Arthur disappeared through the door, leaving a bewildered, and somewhat upset, Molly in his wake.

Molly made her way to the shattered mug. As soon as she saw him, she was suspicious of what he was drinking. Of course there should be trust in any relationship, but with Arthur getting drunk just a few hours prior and everything else that had happened in previous weeks, she had lost almost all trust in him. Before repairing the mug, she found a piece that had a few drops of liquid still in it. Molly dipped her pinky in the brown substance. Before tasting it, she noticed that it smelled only of tea. Contrary to her nose, her mouth told her a different story. It tasted strongly of firewhiskey with only a hint of tea. It was clear Arthur had used a spell in order to disguise his drink in case something like this happened.

She pushed her worries to the back of her mind as she went back to putting up groceries. There was no time to think about what she should do or what would happen now. The kids would be back in three hours with a special guest and she still had to straighten the house and cook dinner.

OoOoO

As pops of Apparition resounded through the house, Molly knew her gaggle of kids were home and, more than likely, very hungry.

Before she knew it, her kitchen was packed full. Luckily, most of the kids were only passing through to greet her then go to the sitting room.

Percy waited for the flood of redheads to die down before bringing his girlfriend to meet his mum.

"Audrey this is my mum. Mum this is Audrey," he introduced in a professional manner.

Audrey stuck out her hand, but Molly, unsurprisingly, went in for a hug.

As she stepped back, Molly beamed and said, "It's nice to finally meet you, dear."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Weasley," Audrey reciprocated.

"Please, call me Molly," the middle-aged woman insisted.

Audrey smiled shyly.

Looking around, Percy asked where his father was.

Truthfully, Molly wasn't sure. She hadn't seen him since he disappeared earlier. To avoid suspicion from any of her children, she told Percy she thought he was up in their bedroom.

On his way upstairs, Percy left Audrey in the hands of his siblings, hoping they wouldn't scare her off.

Percy knocked lightly on his parents' bedroom door.

"I fucking swear, Molly…" was the answer he received through the door.

"Fa – Dad. It's me. Percy," the confused, bespectacled young man called back.

Nothing happened.

"Um. Is everything okay? Can I come in?"

As there was still no answer, Percy took the liberty of entering his parents' bedroom. What he saw next shocked him. His father had not gotten dressed yet and was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Dad, what are you doing? Audrey is here. You can't be dresses like this when I introduce you," Percy said, slightly panicked.

Arthur checked the time.

5:48. Was it already time for dinner? He wasn't even hungry, although he hadn't eaten anything all day. Nowadays he rarely had an appetite. After a couple minutes, Arthur sat up on the edge of the bed.

It was only then when Percy noticed how drawn his father looked.

"Are you alright?" Percy asked.

Arthur ran a hand through his already messy hair.

"I'm fine," he lied. "I'll be down in a bit."

With that, Percy took his leave. It was obvious his father wasn't being truthful with him, so he decided he'd ask his mum about it.

Before going to the kitchen, Percy checked on his girlfriend who seemed to be getting on well with his siblings, Harry, Hermione, and Fleur.

"Is everything alright, darling?" he asked.

Audrey gave a small start as she had not noticed Percy was behind her. "I'm wonderful," she replied with a great smile. "Your brothers are quite entertaining."

"Just making sure they haven't scarred you for life yet." He gave a small grin.

"Oi!" Charlie caught his younger brother's attention from across the room. "We only scar people we don't like, Perce."

The room exploded with laughter as this was mostly true.

Once the laughter died down, Percy told Audrey that he would be back in a minute then headed into the kitchen.

Sensing her son's appearance, Molly said, "Well, it sounds like everyone is having a good time. It hasn't felt like this for quite some time now. It's a pleasant change…Hopefully, it will stay this way," she added under her breath, but Percy still heard.

Putting two and two together, he decided not to beat around the bush, but to still be gentle. "Have you and Dad had an argument?"

Molly glanced at Percy before answering. "No. Why would you ask such a thing." She wasn't lying. It was had only been an outburst from Arthur earlier, _not_ an argument.

"I just - you know - checking how things are. What with everything that has happened recently," Percy stumbled over his words. He didn't want to tell her how his dad greeted the initial knock at the door. "Well, anyway…Is he ill?"

Molly stopped in her tracks. The seriousness of the way her son asked concerned and confused her.

"What do you mean?"

Percy furrowed his eyebrows. "You haven't noticed anything? He was still in his house robe when I went up there, and he looked exhausted."

"He shouldn't be tired at all. He slept all day," Molly informed her bewildered son.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough." Percy shrugged. "I need to get back in there. He'll be down any minute."

"Let them know supper will be ready in about five minutes, dear."

"Yes, ma'am."

Just as Percy announced that supper would be ready soon, Arthur entered the room. His appearance was completely different than upstairs; his hair was fixed, he wore his usual casual attire, and he didn't look tired at all.

This abrupt change took Percy by surprise. "Uh – Er – Oh, Dad, this is Audrey."

Audrey stood up and faced Arthur, extending her hand in the process. A broad smile spread across Arthur's face as he shook her hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Audrey. Hopefully this brood hasn't startled you too badly."

"No, sir, they haven't. I actually like the big family feel. I'm an only child, so it's a good change."

"Well, I'm glad." Then he turned to Percy. "Close your mouth, Son."

Percy snapped his mouth shut and a light blush crept up his cheeks. "Sorry," he mumbled. He hadn't realized his mouth was slightly agape. He was too busy trying to figure out what was going on with his dad.

At that time, Molly appeared in the doorway.

"Supper is ready," she said with a smile.

Before taking his seat, Arthur bent down and placed a chaste kiss on his wife's cheek. All through the evening it was like he was his old self. The only people who were confused were Molly and Percy because they had seen how he was acting earlier in the day. Everyone else, aside from Audrey, thought things were returning to normal.

Hours quickly passed. Percy and Audrey said their good-byes and thanked Molly for the meal. The others began getting ready for bed and, soon after, disappeared into their various bedrooms.

Once he and Molly were alone, Arthur let down his façade. It had been exhausting acting like nothing was amiss. This may have been a relief to Arthur, but for Molly it caused her emotional pain to return. She hated seeing him like this, and she hated the way he treated her whenever he was in one of his moods.

Molly decided to confront him again once they were in bed.

"Arthur…What is going on?" She braced herself for her husband's temper…It never came.

Arthur let out a heavy sigh. He had no energy to have an angry outburst. Instead, he mumbled something about not wanting to talk about it and that he was too tired to anyway.

"Fine then." It was clear that he was worn out. "You have to promise me that we will talk about it tomorrow," Molly said sternly. She wasn't going to let this pass. She would do everything in her power not to let him throw his last chance away.

Her husband was already half asleep, but he heard her. "Sure, sure. Tomorrow," he mumbled.

Satisfied, Molly was able to fall asleep slightly less concerned. He was finally going to open up.


	11. Misunderstanding

**A/N: Hello again! I know it has been a couple months since I've updated, but here is a nice, long chapter that lets you see what some of the younger Weasleys and has a good bit of Percy.**

 **So, anyway, I do love the reviews. I actually reread them a few days ago, and I was just as excited reading them then as I was the first time I read them. Persephonella, I love how you review as you read, and I love getting to see your reaction throughout each chapter.**

 **Please give me your opinions and some ideas of what y'all would like to see or like to see more of. (Don't worry, Phoenix Rising, your precious Percy will play a big part as this story progresses.)**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Misunderstanding**

The next morning was quite calm. Arthur was in a better mood than usual, and Molly hadn't pushed the subject from the previous night. She hadn't even brought it up, letting Arthur approach the issue in his own time.

After breakfast, Bill and Fleur began packing their things in order to move back to Shell Cottage, Charlie left to help with Hogwarts, and the five younger ones had gone to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes to help George take a step forward. So when lunchtime arrived, the only occupants of the Burrow were the two oldest Weasleys.

Seeing as Arthur still hadn't mentioned anything from last night, Molly took it upon herself as they were eating their sandwiches.

"So," Molly prompted her husband, attempting to get the ball rolling.

"Sooo?" Arthur responded.

"You said we would talk today, and the kids aren't home so you don't have to worry about being interrupted or overheard."

Arthur set his sandwich back on his plate as he swallowed a bite.

"What are you on about?" he calmly asked, genuinely confused.

"Last night, you said we would talk today."

"About?" Arthur asked slowly, still not catching on.

Molly was becoming aggravated. He had to be trying to get out of his promise by playing dumb.

"I can't believe this," Molly breathed, exasperated. "What? Did you say that just so I would leave you alone? It is impossible to forget something that quickly."

She stood to clean up from lunch, taking Arthur's plate with his half-eaten sandwich as she did so.

"I'm not finished with that," he protested.

Molly ignored her husband as she threw his lunch in the bin.

Huffing, Arthur stood also. He made his way to stand behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her.

"Dear, will you please tell me why you're upset?" he whispered in her ear. "I, honestly, have no clue what you are talking about."

Molly breathed out heavily before answering. "When we were in bed last night you promised you'd tell me what was bothering you."

It was a good thing Molly had her back to him because at this Arthur clenched his teeth and rolled his eyes. Really? They were back to that? Since she hadn't brought anything up all morning, he thought he could go a single day without her pestering him. He kept calm though as he took a deep breath.

"I doubt I even registered what you were saying, Love. I was exhausted and probably almost asleep." Arthur let go as Molly turned around. "You know I'm still not ready."

"When will you be, Arthur? Because at this rate things will get as bad or worse than they were last week."

He couldn't protest. It was quite obvious how things were going what with the arguments they had had the last few days. At least she didn't know he was drinking again.

"Arthur, I know what you were doing yesterday morning, and the night before that."

 _Well, there goes that_ , Arthur thought. _I guess I wasn't as careful as I should have been_. He opened his mouth to say something, but Molly answered his question before it even left his lips.

"I'm the only one that knows, except for Charlie, but he promised not to tell anyone. That's only because he doesn't want to see this family go to turmoil."

"I haven't had any today," Arthur told her honestly.

"I know," Molly responded, knowing he was telling the truth. "Now, sit down."

Arthur did as commanded. Molly took a seat across from him at the table.

"Neither of us are getting up until you have told me at least one thing that's causing you to act like this."

"Oh, come on, Molly. You are not going to start treating me like one of the kids," Arthur said indignantly.

"I can when you act like one," Molly deadpanned.

The way his wife was treating him caused Arthur's anger to rise. He could tell if Molly continued, he would not be able to control his temper and this would turn into another argument.

"I'm going to work," Arthur said as he stood and grabbed his cloak.

Molly followed him to the fireplace. "Let me guess, work is now code for the pub."

"No. Work is code for work," Arthur said before tossing floo powder into the fire and saying, "Ministry of Magic."

ooOoo

Arthur breathed deeply, calming himself, as he waited in line for the lifts when Percy came to stand by him.

"Hello, Fa - Dad," he corrected hastily.

"Percy," Arthur reciprocated the greeting with a forced smile.

"I didn't think you were working today. Yesterday you said you were off."

"Things change," Arthur said.

The doors of the lift rattled open, allowing the next people in line to enter. Father and son took a few steps forward, but were still a ways back in the que.

"I'm glad I ran into you today, Dad. I have something I've been wanting to ask you."

Arthur tensed as these words reached his ears. He knew it had to be about his behavior the day before.

"Yesterday - Err - Well -" Percy stopped to think of the best way to word his question. He decided to make it a statement instead. "You were acting strangely yesterday."

Arthur knew what his son meant, but attempted to play it off. "I don't know what you are talking about. Everything was perfectly fine yesterday."

"You were holed up in your bedroom until dinner, and your attitude was completely different when you came down," Percy hissed so no one near them could hear. "I've never seen you like that. And - and -" He deflated. "Why won't you even acknowledge that something is wrong?"

"Because there isn't," Arthur snapped. To his relief there was room for only one more person in the lift. Before he stepped in he told Percy, "I don't have time to discuss this. We both have to get back to work."

ooOoo

Diagon Alley was bustling with witches and wizards as usual. It was amazing how quickly the shops had reopened after the war. It was a nice escape for Molly. There was at least one place that had returned to normal with the exception of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, which she was standing in front of. She had decided to check on her son after Arthur rushed off to work.

"Sorry. We're closed," Ginny called from somewhere in the store as the bell tinkled above the door.

"Even for your Mum," Molly called back. After a few seconds, Ginny and Harry emerged from one of the aisles and George came bounding down the steps.

"Hey, Mum. What are you doing here?" George asked with a huge smile plastered across his face. The day had been difficult as everything he looked at reminded him of his dead twin, so seeing his mother was a delightful distraction.

Molly embraced each child while she answered. "Your dad had to go into work, and I have a couple errands to run, so I thought I'd pop in and see how things are coming. Where's your brother and Hermione?" She asked as she was two children short of hugging.

"They've gone to get take out," Harry answered.

"Ahh. Well, have you all gotten much done?"

George took this question. "Yeah, yeah. I think we should have things ready by tonight. A couple odd and end things really. I'll give you a walkthrough if you like," he offered.

Ginny and Harry returned to what they were working on while George gave his Mum the grand tour once again. It was odd and a bit unsettling without Fred, but George knew he was there in spirit. As they walked the aisles, George and Molly carried on light conversation. It was comforting seeing her son excited and acting like his old self.

When they came to the end of the tour Molly asked if he was alright, wanting to make sure his behavior was authentic.

George took a deep breath before answering. "I will be. I know Fred wouldn't want me to close this place down just because he isn't here. I mean, we've worked so hard to get this store…I - uh - I think I'm going to open back up next weekend."

Molly put a hand on each of George's arms and gave him a reassuring smile. "I think that would be wonderful, Georgie. And if you need anything, I'd be more than happy to help."

"Thanks, Mum, but I think I'll be fine. Those four," George gestured to the group downstairs, "said they'd help until Ginny and Hermione go back to school and Harry and Ron start Auror training. That will give me plenty of time to hire people."

Molly stayed at the shop while the kids ate, then let them get back to work.

Over the past several days she had thought of ways to help her husband, and after this morning, she knew she had to take action. So, Molly Weasley walked purposefully into J. Pippin's Potions.

"Good afternoon," greeted the clerk.

"Hello," Molly replied, approaching the counter. "I was wondering if you had something to help me." She gave the store clerk a quick synopsis of what had happened over the past month and a half, from Arthur's temper and drinking to his behavior and refusing to tell her what was bothering him. "So, do you have anything that could help with any of that?" Molly was desperate. She would do anything to help the man she loved.

The clerk thought long and hard before telling the short redheaded woman that there was no potion that could help.

"What about the Draught of Peace? Wouldn't that help with his temper?"

"No, ma'am. That only helps with anxiety."

"There's absolutely nothing?" Molly asked sadly.

"I'm sorry," the woman behind the counter answered regretfully. She could tell how much Molly was hurting. "I do wish you the best though."

When she turned to leave the store, Molly was startled to see a gentleman standing behind her. Not knowing how long he had been there, she apologized for making him wait so long. He told her that it was no problem and asked her to wait outside for him while he paid for his things.

Molly took a seat on the bench in front of the apothecary pondering why this stranger wanted to speak with her. She did not have much time to think though, as the stranger came to sit next to her.

"Hello. My name is Conner." The gentleman stuck his hand out and Molly shook it. Inside the store, Molly had been too distracted to notice what the man looked like. He was taller than average and his shirt stretched over his muscles. He wore his vibrant red hair in an Undercut style.

"I'm Molly."

"I heard you talking to the clerk. And I thought maybe I could help," Conner said in a thick Irish accent.

Molly was uncertain of how Conner could help. She stared into his green eyes, waiting for him to elaborate.

"You see, what you and your husband are going through sounds very similar to what my ex-wife and I went through. Our son was an auror. He was killed a few years ago. I reacted almost the exact same way your husband is, minus the temper...So I thought maybe if I talk to him, he would stop and get things back on track. And what happened with my marriage won't happen with yours."

Molly stared at her lap as she contemplated Conner's offer. She doubted Arthur would listen to him, but it was worth a shot.

"Ok," she agreed, looking back at the Irishman. They planned for him to come to the Burrow for dinner that night, and Molly thanked him.

ooOoo

There was a knock on Arthur's office door. It was nearly time for him to get off work (though he doubted he would go home yet), so he couldn't imagine who was coming to see him this late. Either way, he called for the mystery person to come in.

"Hey, Dad," Percy said as he took a seat across from his father.

"I'm not gonna talk about it," Arthur stared abruptly.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go to the tea shop before heading home -"

"Why?" the older man interrupted.

"I want to talk to you about Audrey," Percy answered honestly.

Arthur continued his paperwork, not acknowledging the bespeckled young man. He didn't want to harm his relationship with his son again, but he had a feeling Percy wasn't being truthful. If his son wasn't being completely honest, Arthur knew how he would handle it; with his attitude and then go to a pub to calm down before returning home.

Finishing the paperwork he was working on, Arthur stood up and said, "Alright, let's go."

Within ten minutes, they were seated in a nearby tea shop with their hot beverages.

"So. You wanted to talk about Audrey," Arthur prompted.

"Yes. I would like your advice about something," Percy said, staring at his tea cup.

Arthur saw now that Percy really was seeking his advice and not just trying to confront him again.

"What is it, Son?" he asked, concerned.

"Um..." Percy glanced up at his Father then returned his gaze to the cup. "H-how did you know you wanted to marry Mum?" He looked back at his Dad, waiting for an answer.

"You think Audrey is the one?" Arthur asked.

Percy nodded.

"Well," Arthur began, "we had discussed the idea of marriage and what we wanted out of life. But mainly, I - well, I just _knew_. There's not really a specific way of knowing. It's different with each person."

Percy nodded again. Neither man said anything for several minutes; Percy thinking about what his father just said, and Arthur remembering the night he proposed to Molly.

"I am going to ask her to marry me," Percy stated firmly. "She is the one."

Arthur patted his son's shoulder and gave him a genuine smile. "I'm happy for you, Perce."

They both bought another cup of tea and sat back down.

Since he had gotten the advice he needed and his dad seemed to be in a better mood, Percy decided to question him again.

"Dad, what happened yesterday?" he asked timidly.

Arthur took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Nothing happened."

"Dad, it's clear that something is wrong."

" _Nothing_ happened. And _nothing_ is wrong." Arthur's temper was coming back. "Besides, you've been gone for three years, so you don't know what normal is anymore."

This hit Percy hard. He knew he had been gone, and that he had made a huge mistake in doing so. His father and everyone else in the family had forgiven him, or at least that's what he thought.

"Fine. If you still feel that way, I'll go and things can go back to how they were." Percy made to leave. Arthur's voice stopped him.

"Son, I'm sorry. That's not what I meant."

Percy turned to face his dad, who was now standing also.

Thoughts buzzed through Arthur's mind. He didn't want to admit something was wrong. Hell, he didn't even know what _was_ wrong. But he wasn't going to lose his son after just getting him back.

"Don't say things like that then. I know something is going on, Dad. I saw you yesterday and the complete turn in your behavior. And 'I fucking swear, Molly'?" Percy quoted incredulously. "Seriously, Dad, whatever the problem is, you need to fix it. Otherwise, I can tell, I won't be the only person you've lost."

With how his son put this, it didn't take long for Arthur to concede. "Ok. I'll talk to her tonight. As soon as I get home."

"Good. I'll stop by your office tomorrow and see how things went."

Father and son said their good-byes, and went to their respectable homes.

ooOoo

"Molly...I am so very sorry. I know, I know. It doesn't mean much anymore, but this time I mean it - I mean, I meant it before, but this time I truly mean it. And you have had every right to speculate and not trust me.

"Now, this part is going to be difficult for me, so let me finish before you say anything...You were right. There is something wrong. I don't know what it is though. Well, part of it is because of Fred, but that's a fraction of it. I feel - I feel...I don't know. I guess, I feel alone, even though you're always there. And I can't always control my temper. Again, I don't know why...I'm the husband and father, but I - I can't handle everything that has been put on me lately. And that is the most selfish thing I can say."

Arthur had been pacing the garden for ten minutes before finding the right words to say. Now, as he stood at the back door, he had to muster the courage to actually say these things to his wife and become vulnerable.

Taking a deep breath, Arthur opened the door and stepped over the threshold.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to come in," Molly said as she set a pot to magically stir itself.

Arthur slowly approached his wife. "Love, where are the kids?"

"Charlie is eating out with Hagrid and the others are going to be at the shop late," she responded.

"Bill and Fleur are back at Shell Cottage?"

"Yes, Dear. You were here when they left this morning."

"Good," Arthur said, nodding to himself. "Will you stop for a minute, Molly? We - Uh - We need to talk."

This immediately got Molly's attention. It could mean one of two things: that he was ready to open up or that he wanted to take a break from their relationship. And with how things had been going, the latter seemed the most likely. She was quickly relieved when Arthur continued after they both took a seat at the table.

"Well, it's more like I have some explaining to do." Arthur took his wife's hand and looked her in the eyes. As he did this, Molly completely forgot that Conner could come back from the loo at any second. "Molly...I am so very sorry for the past several weeks. I know it loses meaning after a while, but this time I truly mean it. I've been an awful husband, and you have had every right to speculate -"

Just then the kitchen door swung open. The tall, muscular stranger froze as he realized he walked in on an intimate moment. Arthur glared at him, his blood boiling. He looked back at Molly.

"Who is this?" Arthur asked angrily.

"Dear, it's not what you're thinking," Molly stated calmly.

"Who. Is. He?" Arthur ground out. Before Molly could answer, he stood and slammed the back door on his way out. Sighing, she chased after her husband and stopped in front of him. The other day she had learned not to grab him if he was angry.

"You know what, I take back everything I said. I can't believe you would do something like this!" Arthur's face was as red as his hair now.

Molly raised her voice over her husband's. "Arthur, it is not like that! I met him -"

"- I don't want to know how or when you met him, Molly! This is absolutely -"

"- He went through something similar! I was hoping if he talked to you -" Molly interrupted again, but was quickly cut back off.

" _Stop_! I don't want to hear it. I'm sure the two of you planned for whenever I found out. And all of this is just a way of tricking me!" Arthur took a deep breath and continued more calmly. "Get out of my way."

Molly didn't budge. Instead she glared at her husband, daring him to leave.

"Dann it, woman, move!" he barked.

"Not until you calm down and let me explain," Molly said evenly.

Knowing how stubborn his wife could be, Arthur pushed her to the side so he could get to the apparition point, not giving her a second glance as she fell to the ground. He didn't mean to shove her that severely, but at this point he didn't care.


	12. Seperation

**Seperation**

The three youngest Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione finished at the joke shop and headed to the Leaky Cauldron in order to use the Floo Network.

"For fuck's sake," Ron grumbled as the group entered the pub.

"What?" his companions asked.

"Dad's passed out at the bar," Ron pointed out. Sure enough, Arthur was unconscious at the end of the wooden counter.

"Should we take him home?" Ginny asked.

George glanced at his watch: eight-thirty. "I s'pose so. Ron, will you give me a hand?" he asked.

"Absolutely not. I say we leave him and if we're lucky, he won't find his way back."

"Ronald! Show him some respect. He is your father after all," Hermione chided.

"Not that piece of shit. I'll see you guys at home." Ron stepped into the fireplace and disappeared.

"I'd better go talk to him," Hermione said before following her boyfriend.

George looked to Harry then, about to ask the same question, but Harry nodded before the words left George's lips.

The trio made their way to the bar. After asking the bartender how much his dad owed, George paid off his tab. The two boys placed either of Arthur's arms around their shoulders and carried him to the fireplace.

As soon as they stumbled out of the fireplace in the kitchen of the Burrow, Arthur had regained consciousness in just enough time to find a trashcan. No doubt, the spinning sensation of Floo travel caused him to be more nauseated than he already was.

It seemed as though Ron had immediately began insulting his dad when he stepped into the kitchen a few minutes before, because Hermione was having it out with him, and Charlie was comforting his mum. While Arthur was busy retching, Ginny joined Hermione in berating her brother, George sat by his mum and Charlie, and Harry stood awkwardly by the fireplace.

Harry was startled as the fireplace roared to life next to him, and Bill stepped out of the green flames. He and Fleur had forgotten a box that morning and he had come to pick it up, so he was not expecting the mixture of shouting, sobbing, and vomiting that met his ears.

" _Hey_!" Bill shouted, gaining everyone's attention except Arthur's who was still bent over the trashcan. "I'm not even gone for one day and all hell breaks loose?" He let out a deep breath as he ran a hand through his long hair. "Does anyone want to explain?

This was the wrong question to ask, because the house exploded with noise again

"Shut it!" Bill commanded, causing the house to grow silent again. He knew how to control his siblings; he had watched his mother his entire life after all.

Finally, Arthur was able to stand without a wave of nausea overcoming him. He braced himself on the counter.

""You want an explanation?" he slurred. "She's a lying, cheating bitch!"

"And you're a good-for-nothing drunk!" Ron countered.

"Ron, go to your room if you can't hold your tongue," Bill commanded.

"Fine. I don't want to be in the same room as him anyway," the youngest Weasley male griped as he stamped out of the kitchen and up to his room.

"I come home to my wife alone with another man," Arthur continued. He then turned to his wife. "Speaking of which, did you enjoy the rest of your evening? I know I certainly did," he sneered before returning his head promptly to the trashcan.

When Arthur stood back up, Molly replied. "I told you that's not how it was, and I tried telling you why he was here, but you were adamant that it was exactly how it looked and didn't give me a chance to explain."

"Of course, I'm supposed to listen to and believe the story the two of you made up in order to cover your arse. I'm sorry I'm not a gullible idiot like you think I am," Arthur interrupted.

"Mum is telling the truth," Charlie cut in. "I met Conner when I got home. He was consoling Mum because _you_ shoved her to the ground." Charlie crossed the room and put his face an inch from his father's. "The only reason he was here was to help you get your shit together. He wanted to make sure you didn't make the same mistakes he did that caused his marriage to end. Because he knows what you're going through; he went through the exact same thing four years ago. But, no, you were being too much of a knob to realize that." He went to sit back down before rounding on his dad again. "You know what? If this doesn't work out, I hope Mum does end up with Conner, because, from the ten minutes I talked to him, I know he would make a much better husband than you." Satisfied, Charlie returned to his Mum.

Arthur felt thoroughly admonished and humiliated. He had been too quick to judge, and now he would have to pay the price.

"Kids, will you give us a minute?" he asked quietly.

No one moved. None of them trusted him to be alone with their mum, especially after the past several days and with how intoxicated he currently was.

"Kids, it's fine," Molly assured.

Still, no one budged.

"Would you feel better if Bill stayed in here?" she asked.

At this suggestion, everyone mumbled their agreement and departed.

Arthur carefully made his way to a seat at the table. It was amazing he was able to cross the room with stumbling or tripping.

After a moment, he spoke quietly. "This was my last chance, wasn't it?"

Molly nodded.

"And I've mucked it up?"

She didn't answer this, but replied with a question. "Why are you acting like this?"

Arthur thought for a moment before answering honestly. "I don't...know."

"Fine, Arthur, don't tell me. Continue messing things up then there will be nothing left to ruin." Molly stood and began making her way to the kitchen door.

"Molly." Arthur attempted to stand but quickly realized that he couldn't. "Molly, I'm telling you through truth. That's what I was going to say earlier…Trust me," he pleaded.

She turned to face her husband. "Well, I don't trust you, and I no longer believe a word that comes out of your mouth. You never mean anything you say." Without another word, Molly went upstairs for a much needed bath.

As she sat in the warm bubble-filled water, she could only think about what she should do. She had thought that everything that had occurred after the whole fight in the shed would straighten him out, but he was worse now than he was then. He was uncontrollable and unpredictable. What could she do that would put him back on the right path? She wasn't ready to give up on him yet. After a long while, she thought of something that might work…

Make him realize what he would lose.

It had worked last time. He was torn apart and only wanted her forgiveness when the family had kicked him out. Sure, it didn't last long, but there was no definite answer that it wouldn't stick now. Unlike a week ago, Molly did not want it to go as far as one of them leaving though.

While she was blow drying her hair with her wand, Arthur came to stand in the doorway. It had been nearly an hour; she supposed he had to sober up a bit before coming upstairs. He could barely stand while leaning on the counter when he got home after all. It was obvious he had drank more tonight than he ever had.

"I - Um - I need to shower," he said quietly.

Molly ignored him, partly because she couldn't handle any more of his lies and partly because of the plan she just devised.

Not hearing "No", Arthur entered the bathroom and began getting ready for bed. When he entered the bedroom, Molly was sitting in bed reading a book. Wanting to avoid more confrontation, he stood near the edge of the bed and waited for her to look up before speaking.

"So, am I sleeping in here tonight, or am I on the couch?" he asked timidly.

"I don't care. Do whatever you want," Molly answered indifferently.

Not wanting to raise suspicion by sleeping downstairs, he climbed in the bed. After they turned the lights off, he went to hug her up like he always did, but she moved his arm. She didn't want him to touch her and she had a cut and a large, sensitive bruise on her arm from when she fell earlier that evening.

ooOoo

"Dear, do we have any hangover potion?" Arthur asked the next morning as he entered the kitchen, rubbing his forehead.

"No."

"Well, what's for breakfast?" he asked, coming up behind his wife at the stove.

"Whatever you fix," was Molly's blunt reply, ignoring Arthur's close proximity. This was all part of her plan: act like she doesn't care and do as little as possible for him.

"You always make my breakfast, and, I swear, we still had some hangover potion the other day." He was having a difficult time keeping his temper in check now. Every day for the last thirty years, Molly would wake him up, fix his breakfast, and pack his lunch. Today, she did none of those things. "What's the matter with you?" he asked angrily. "I'm going to be late for work."

"Well, if you hadn't overreacted and stormed off last night, you would have breakfast and you wouldn't need a hangover potion," Molly said as she plated the last pancake. "Now, why don't you just get to work?"

"You don't tell me what to do. I tell you what to do," he said as he snatched up a pancake to take with him. "You're just a meek little housewife. And from now on, I expect to have breakfast ready every morning," he growled. "If you'll excuse me, I must get to work."

ooOoo

Percy walked into his dad's office without knocking and took a seat across from him. "I heard about last night. Are you okay?"

"Merlin, Son, do you have to talk so loudly?" Arthur grumbled, his head still pounding. "Other than screwing everything up and having the worst bleeding hangover of my life, I'm fantastic," he answered sorely.

"That's not true, Dad. I'm sure you didn't mess things up too badly," Percy assured.

Arthur leaned back in his chair. "According to your mother, I have."

"She said that?"

"Pretty much."

"If the words 'You messed things up' didn't come out of here mouth, then she didn't say that."

"But she did say she doesn't trust me and doesn't care anymore, so it's technically the same thing."

Percy didn't believe what his father was telling him. He knew his mother would never give up that easily, what he didn't know was how hard she had already tried.

"Well, do you want to get lunch together?" Percy asked, changing the subject.

"No. I'm skipping it today."

"I'll see you tonight then. I'm coming over for dinner," he said before closing the office door behind him.

"Good luck with the shrew," Arthur muttered as he returned to his work.

ooOoo

That evening, Percy didn't see his dad at supper. None of his family did. In fact, the only person that saw him that night was Molly. She had sat up waiting for him until, finally, he came home around two in the morning...

Drunk.

"Where have you been?" she asked, highly annoyed. You would think he had learned his lesson.

"Where do you think?" He fumbled with his shoes as he took them off. "You know, I was thinking. What's the point? You've given up on me, therefore there is none."

"I've stayed up all night worrying about you."

"That's odd," he blurted. "Why would you be up all night if you didn't give a rat's ass about him?"

"I never said I stopped caring," Molly defended herself.

"You sure acted like you didn't last night and this morning."

Molly couldn't deny that. It was her intention to make him think she didn't care. Where she was hoping it would knock some since into her husband, it was now causing a fight. She attempted to change the subject and turn the blame back on Arthur.

"With the war over, I thought the late nights worrying were over -"

"Well, I didn't ask you to wait up. Personally, I'd rather you be asleep when I get home so I don't have to put up with your NAG-GING." Arthur made to pass Molly and go up the stairs to the bedroom, but she put her arm out to stop him.

"No. You'll be on the couch from now until further notice." She glared daggers at him as she said this.

Arthur grabbed her wrist tightly and forcefully moved her arm. "What did I tell you this morning? You don't tell me what to do. I'm the husband. You're just the lowly housewife." he growled before heading upstairs.

Molly rubbed the wrist in which her husband was just holding, tears forming in her eyes from fear and pain. She wasn't sure what to do. She didn't want to sleep in the same bed as him, but she felt if she didn't then he would become even angrier.

 _There's always Charlie,_ Molly thought. She had promised to tell him if his father ever did anything, but she didn't want to wake him. Every day he worked so hard to rebuild Hogwarts and he needed his rest. So, she reluctantly followed her husband to their bedroom.

ooOoo

Over the next couple days the only thing that changed was Molly becoming more submissive. In the mornings, she made sure to have Arthur's breakfast ready and at night she pretended to be asleep when he got home. When the kids were around, they both acted as if everything was perfectly fine.

One evening, their cover was blown. Charlie was helping Molly set the table for dinner when her sleeve slid back a little to reveal her bruised wrist.

"Mum." Charlie stopped what he was doing.

"What is it, dear?" Molly asked, not realizing what her son had seen.

Charlie gently took his mum's hand and pulled back her sleeve completely. Immediately, he knew what caused the bruise due to the patterning of the bruising.

"Mum." He looked at her seriously. "You promised you would tell me if he hurt you again."

"I know. I just - I don't know. You've been so busy; I didn't want to be a bother."

"That doesn't matter. This is absolutely unacceptable! What else has he done?"

Molly told her protective son exactly what had happened since the night Conner was at the Burrow, tears silently streaming down her face.

This infuriated Charlie. He blamed himself partially. If he had paid closer attention, perhaps he could have caught on sooner.

"I know you don't want to hear this, but you have to leave him. Tonight. Because this isn't healthy, and I don't want to see you hurt again."

ooOoo

That night, Charlie stayed up with his mum, waiting for Arthur to get home. He would be there for moral support and physical defense. In Bill's absence, he would have to step up.

They watched the old grandfather clock as it chimed and Arthur's hand settled on "Home". A moment later, he came stumbling through the door.

Upon seeing his second oldest standing behind Molly, Arthur froze.

"Don't you have to be up early, Charlie?" he quickly recovered, doing his best not to slur his words.

"I know everything," Charlie deadpanned. "But I'm gonna let Mum do the talking."

Before Molly could speak, Arthur began slinging insults. "Very mature. The going gets tough and you run off to your son for help. Pathetic."

Even though he hated the way his dad was talking to his mum, Charlie knew he had to bite his tongue and let his mum do this on her own.

"I'm not running to anyone. Charlie is here to make sure you don't harm me when I tell you I'm leaving," Molly said confidently.

Arthur laughed humorlessly. "You're not going anywhere. We took vows on our wedding day -"

Molly interrupted, "- Vows which _you_ already broke."

"Either way, you are my wife…You are _not_ leaving," he challenged.

"Watch me." Molly tried passing her husband to get to the door, but he grabbed her upper arm. Charlie was quick on his feet; in the blink of an eye he had his wand drawn and pointed at his father who just as quickly released his grip and took a step back.

"So you're going to abandon your kids?" Arthur accused.

"No. In the morning, Charlie will tell them what happened, and the boys can come with me or stay here with you. They can decide."

"What about Ginny?"

"She'll be coming with me."

"What if she wants to stay? She is old enough to make her own decisions."

"She doesn't have a choice. She turns seventeen in August. If you haven't sorted yourself out by then, I can't stop her though I'd prefer her to stay as far away from you as possible."

"You can't keep my daughter from me. You've already taken one of them...Or do you not remember Gracie?"

At this, Charlie was lost and Molly was appalled that Arthur would even think that she'd forgotten her first little girl.

"You told me countless times it wasn't my fault," Molly said, barely audible.

"What was it you said, Molly, 'You never mean anything you say'? Apparently, I didn't mean things I said back then either." Arthur had never been this ruthless.

The dam broke. Tears began cascading down Molly's cheeks. Was Arthur telling the truth? All these years, did he secretly think it was her fault the pregnancy failed?

"Why are you bringing this up now? We agreed never to talk about her," Molly choked out.

"See! The other night you wanted to discuss whatever George and I were talking about, but you wouldn't believe me when I said you didn't want to talk about it...The first time I get to talk about my first daughter in twenty-two years and you ruin it! Just like you destroyed whatever chance she had at life or having her memory preserved. You're too selfish and weak to even be reminded of her that you decided no one could ever talk about her.

"No matter what I said back then, It was entirely your fault. The complications and premature birth," it was now that Charlie realized he was supposed to have another sister, "were caused by your high blood pressure and the excessive amounts of stress you put on yourself. The war had barely begun and all you could do was worry. I'm surprised we didn't lose any other kids because of that." Arthur's face was bright red now.

"It's also your fault that I've had to keep all this bottled up for twenty three years, like she's some sort of ugly secret. Did you even consider how this would affect me or were you only thinking about yourself?

"And guess what? Now we've lost a child we raised for twenty one years and more than six people know of his existence. How do you suppose we ignore that?" Finally, Arthur stopped his tirade, giving Molly a chance to process everything he just said.

"I-I didn't realize how hard this has been on you, but it's not like I don't think about her every now and then either."

"I think about her nearly every goddamn day!" he shouted. He couldn't help thinking that the mother should think about her lost child more than the father.

Charlie recovered. There was no time to think about his lost sister or to be shocked that he was supposed to have another sibling. He had to keep his mother on track.

"Mum, don't let him distract you," Charlie whispered from behind Molly. "He's just trying to make you feel guilty so you won't leave." He wasn't sure how true that was, but Molly desperately needed to get out of this situation. Charlie had never seen his father this mad, and he was afraid Arthur could overpower him if he truly wanted to.

Focused once again, Molly wiped her face with her sleeves, and stood up straight.

"Goodbye, Arthur," she said definitively.

Charlie walked between Arthur and Molly in case his father tried anything else. To everyone's surprise, he didn't. Arthur allowed them to leave without any further altercation.

 **A/N: Alright, hope y'all enjoyed chapter 12.**

 **In some ways it wasn't as good as I'd originally hoped, but in others it was better. All because the first third of it got deleted by accident and I had to rewrite it the best I could from memory. I got it relatively close though.**

 **Phoenix Rising, I am so glad I can make you piss you off so easily. Maybe, I did it again and can continue angering you.**

 **Please review! And I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I think it's the longest one yet (3,500 words). See y'all next time!**


	13. Taking Responsibility

**Taking Responsibility**

The next morning, Arthur woke up on the couch with a horrible headache. The smell of breakfast and the sound of yelling filled the house.

The previous night was quite fuzzy, as it usual. He remembered coming home late, getting in another argument with Molly, and drinking until he fell asleep on the couch. For some odd reason, he thought Charlie was there also. That didn't explain why their kids were arguing, or why Molly was not stopping it.

Arthur rubbed his face and sighed. Apparently, he would have to deal with the kids this morning.

He gathered the sleeping draught and firewhiskey from the previous night, and took a gulp of the latter before entering the kitchen.

Upon entering, he discovered which of his kids were fighting: his two youngest and his second oldest. George sat quietly, staying out of it. Harry was trying to calm Ginny down while Hermione scolded Ron as he spat out insults about their father to Ginny. Charlie was red in the face as he was in a shouting match with his sister. Arthur assumed Bill and Fleur were at Shell Cottage…Molly was nowhere to be seen.

George was the only one who noticed Arthur as he watched from the doorway.

"I'm staying here!" Ginny fiercely told her second oldest brother.

"I've told you, _you are going with Mum_. She said you have no say in this until you're of age, and even then, she doesn't want you near him," Charlie explained supposedly for the umpteenth time.

"And who's supposed to take care of him if we all leave? He's passed out on the couch this morning for Merlin's sake," she shot back.

"I'm staying actually," George chimed in, making eye contact with his father. Charlie didn't notice his brother's comment as he was too preoccupied with Ginny; otherwise he would have jumped on George as well. Not only did he want Ginny safe, but he didn't want any of his other siblings in contact with their father either.

"George and I are the only ones who don't want to just abandon him when he, _obviously_ , needs his family most right now."

The topic of last night's argument came back to Arthur…Molly had left him. When she had told him she was taking Ginny, he brought up their deceased daughter and began blaming her for the failed pregnancy, even though he didn't believe a word that came out of his mouth…And he had physically hurt her again; that was where Charlie came in. As these thoughts flooded back to Arthur, he felt utterly repulsed by what he had done and how he had been treating his wife the past few days. But wait. Hadn't she been the one to start all of this? Molly had been ignoring and mistreating him first. He was pulled back to the scene in front of him as his daughter mentioned his name again.

"Doesn't Dad get a say in this?"

"No, he doesn't. It's not safe for you to stay here right now. He's chang-" Ron answered instead of Charlie this time, but was cut off.

"I know. 'He's changed! He's not the man who raised us'!" Ginny echoed her brothers' words from a few weeks ago. "That doesn't mean we just leave him."

"Ginny, if you want, I'll stay here. And I'll come see you every day," Harry offered.

"What the bloody hell, mate?" Ron shot at his best friend, appalled that he would even suggest such a thing.

"Sorry. You're my best friend, but she's my girlfriend," the raven-haired boy defended himself.

"Listen!" Charlie interrupted. "Anyone can do what they want. But, Ginny, you have to go to Muriel's with Mum."

"Yeah? Try and ma -" Ginny began.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Arthur roared over the din at the table. All heads snapped to the Weasley patriarch who slammed the two bottles on the table, almost shattering them from the force. This burst of rage frightened _everyone._ "This is the _last_ thing I want to deal with this morning," he seethed.

Regaining his courage first, Ron stood and began accusing his father. "You're already drinking this morning?"

Arthur was taken aback by how fast his youngest son recovered. "It – It's from last night," he stuttered.

"So you have then," Ron stated.

Glaring at his son, Arthur replied, "I did not say that. You're putting words in my mouth."

"You didn't deny it either." Now, Charlie had gotten his courage back. He should have been the first to stand up to their father, seeing as he's the oldest present and a dragon trainer, but he had seen the damage his dad could do. "See, Ginny, this is why you can't stay here."

"He's not dangerous. He's our _Dad_ ," she argued.

"He hurt Mum. You want him to hurt you too?" Ron stated.

"That wasn't on purpose." Ginny pointed out, thinking she was helping her case.

"Exactly!" Ron exclaimed.

"QUIET!" Arthur barked. "Shut up and sit down, all of you!" They all obeyed immediately.

He rubbed his face as he briefly paced the room, trying to get his temper in check. His kids didn't need to see that side of him. He didn't even know about that side of him until the war ended. All his life, he had been mild-mannered and even-tempered. Stopping at the head of the table, he firmly placed his hands on the back of an empty chair and bowed his head, now thinking of what he needed to do.

When Molly told him she was taking their daughter, he was upset. This morning his sons, and even Ginny, had made some valid points against her staying with him. And, as much as he didn't want her taken from him, he really didn't want to hurt his little girl.

Arthur blew out a long breath and grabbed the two bottles previously slammed on the table. Everyone was surprised when he put them both in the cabinet. He, then, pulled out a hangover potion and drank some before returning to stand at the head of the table.

Looking around the table, Arthur could see how apprehensive his kids were. This should never have happened. Kids should never have to look at their father this way, especially his. Molly shouldn't have felt unsafe with him, and Charlie, along with any of his other kids, should not have had to protect their mother from their father, or witness what their son had last night. There was no redeeming himself – No way of fixing this…

It was over.

Slowly shaking his head, Arthur squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head before looking back up. Everything was ruined because of him, so he now would have to man up and do his best to keep things from getting worse.

"I'm not going to make any excuses - Please, don't interrupt me -" Arthur calmly added when Ron was, no doubt, about to make a snide remark, "nor am I going to seek anyone's forgiveness. I don't deserve it. I will never be able to forgive myself for what I've done to this family, so I don't expect any of you to either…This family has been through hell, and it is _entirely_ my fault. Everything that has happened since the end of the war is because of me."

No one was expecting this. They thought Arthur would blow up and blame everything else, but he did the exact opposite.

Now, Arthur addressed his daughter directly. "Ginny, I have no idea why you are defending me. Thank you, but you need to listen to your brothers. What they are saying is true. And you have even made some good arguments against your own case without realizing it.

He turned his gaze to Charlie. "Charlie…Son, you and Bill have had to step up and take on a parental role because I have failed in my patriarchal duties recently. Neither of you should have had to do that."

"No, we shouldn't have. And _never_ call me that again." Charlie couldn't hold is tongue any longer. He had done better than he expected. Normally, Charlie would have interrupted him around the time Ron almost had, but Arthur calling him 'Son' sent him over the edge. As far as he was concerned, the man standing in front of him had no right to call him 'Son' anymore.

"Same here," Ron piped up.

That six word sentence hurt Arthur deeply, even though, on some level, he knew those words would be spoken by at least one of his kids sooner or later. "Okay," he said quietly, remembering why he needed to keep calm. "Just know that I am proud of each of you for doing what you know is right, standing by your mother, and all the other accomplishments you've made in your lives. And I love you all - including Bill, Percy, and your mother - more than any of you could ever imagine, even though it hasn't seemed that way recently…I am _extremely_ sorry for everything that I have caused," Arthur said sincerely as he addressed the table as a whole again.

"Look, no one is going to Muriel's." Ginny's mood immediately lifted. Ron and Charlie looked ready to protest. George seemed to be indifferent. "Let me finish," Arthur hastily added, preventing another shouting match. "It's not fair for everyone to have to leave because of me. So, Charlie, I want you to go tell your mother she can move back in. I will be out of here in thirty minutes. No one will have to worry about me coming around, and I'll make sure there is enough money in our vault for whatever she needs whenever she needs it." Clearing his throat, Arthur added quietly, "And – uh - Charlie, please tell her that I didn't mean anything I said last night, and that it was _very_ wrong for me to say those things."

Charlie was unsure if he would convey that message to his mum. His father didn't deserve to have any communication with her, but as he thought about it more, he realized if he didn't tell his mum what Arthur had just said, she would continue to think what her husband had told her was true and that would be worse than allowing his father to have what he didn't deserve.

"I will," Charlie answered truthfully. Arthur had no doubts that his son would pass on his message.

Everyone else in the room was completely lost. Charlie had not elaborated on what occurred the previous night, but it was serious enough for their mother to leave. Not quite catching on to how serious this short exchange between her brother and dad was, Ginny hopped up.

"I'm going with you," she blurted.

"Ginny, we have been through this. _No,_ " Charlie said exasperatedly.

"Dad?" she asked hopefully.

Of course, Arthur had already decided he wasn't going to fight for Ginny and every fiber of his being was telling him to shut everyone out, but he couldn't help but hesitate with his answer. His daughter meant the world to him, and her eagerness to go with him showed how much he meant to her. He looked Ginny over and landed on her eyes. They were so much like her mother's - big, brown, caring, pleading, but also holding a spark of fire. He had already hurt the woman he loved. He would never be able to forgive himself if he harmed his little girl. Now, he understood where Molly was coming from.

"Your brothers and mother are right," he answered, regretful yet stern. "You're staying here with your mum."

"What about when I turn seventeen?"

"No."

"Someone needs to take care of you -"

"- I am a grown man. I can take care of myself," Arthur cut off his daughter, a bit harshly.

"Yes, you have done such a great job with that lately," Ginny said sarcastically.

Arthur slammed his fist down on the table. Ginny quickly took a step back. Charlie and Harry instinctively moved in front of her. Ron, who was on the opposite side of the table, drew his wand while George was prepared to stop his little brother if he tried to do anything.

"No, and that is final! I'm not arguing with you on this," Arthur exploded, having lost any control he had left on his temper.

"This is why Mum doesn't want you near him, Ginny," Ron said.

Arthur saw how familiar this looked, except this time it was Ginny. And that scared him more than anything.

"I'm - I'm sorry. Ron's right. I don't want to risk hurting you," he said, backing away.

"I can go though, right?" George spoke up. "You need someone just...to be there."

"No, George," he sighed. " _No_ _one_ is going with me. What I need is to work things out on my own."

With that, Arthur rushed out of the kitchen to pack his bag and grab a quick shower. He wasn't sure where he would go, but he had all day to figure that out. Right now he was already an hour late for work. He avoided his kids on the way out and didn't look back before disapparating.

 **A/N: Hope y'all enjoyed Chapter 13. It was supposed to have more to it, but I had written this about a year ago and didn't realize how long it was. So, chapter 14 is in my notebook and all I have to do is type it out, add a few things, and edit it which, after all that, it will probably end up being two chapters.**

 **While I spend a couple days working on that, y'all have a chance to give some input on the story. Such as…Do y'all want a conversation between Charlie and Molly, or maybe Charlie and Bill, or anyone really after this whole debacle? It doesn't have to be between just two people or even in the family. The only restriction is that it can't be Percy, because I have big plans for him in the very near future (Hmhm, the chapter that is in my notebook).**

 **So, Phoenix Rising, you'll have lots of Perciness, though I'm not sure you'll be too happy with him. And thanks for that review. I** _ **love**_ **getting a rise out of you.**

 **Keep those reviews coming!**


	14. The Aftermath

**The Aftermath**

Once Arthur left the kitchen, everyone turned their attention to Ginny, concerned about how this might have affected her, but she showed no emotion.

"Gin?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"How could she do this to him?" Ginny asked quietly. "How could _you_ say something so awful?" Her voice and anger rose as she turned to Charlie.

"Ginny, there's a lot more to it than you know. I didn't tell any of you the details." The dragon trainer kept his calm.

"Why don't you enlighten us then?"

"It's not my place. That's up to Mum and – and – _him_. But I saw what happened, so I have every right to say what I did," Charlie defended himself.

"Well, that doesn't give Ron an excuse! He knows just as much as the rest of us –"

"- Actually, I do have an excuse!" Ron interrupted his sister. "It was probably something similar to what happened out by the shed a few weeks ago."

Ginny turned on her youngest brother now. "You can't just assume that. Besides, you've been a complete ass towards Dad ever since he came back last time. Mum forgave him and so did the rest of us, so why couldn't you?"

"You all made a mistake by doing that, though, because now he has done something else. And this time she didn't kick him out. She _left_ him! That means this has to be worse than last time," Ron countered.

"You know what? Don't talk to me until you stop acting like a prat!" Ginny hollered before turning on her heel and making her way to the back door, stopping when she noticed Harry wasn't following her. She glared at her boyfriend until he took the hint and followed her into the orchard, listening to and agreeing with everything she said as she hit a bludger whenever it came in range.

Ron breathed heavily as he watched his sister and best friend leave the house before making his way to his bedroom with Hermione. She did the same as Harry, sat quietly and listened while her significant other went on a long rant.

With the four youngest ones gone, Charlie and George were the only people left in the kitchen. Charlie was only still there because he wanted to make sure his father was gone before going to retrieve his mum. His younger brother began to leave the kitchen before Charlie spoke again.

"George?" he said, silently wondering where his brother was going.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to talk to him," George said bitterly. "I'm going to my room."

To George's relief, Charlie didn't stop him. It had been extremely hard for him ever since his twin was killed, but he was slowly making progress as the rest of his family helped him. Now though, his family was falling apart. Something else that was helping George was the special bond he thought was forming between him and his father. He felt special that his dad would let his guard down around him and open up when he wouldn't do that with anyone else. Apparently, their late night talks weren't as special to his dad as they were to him. This was a major setback for George.

A little while later, Arthur came downstairs. Not a word was spoken between father and son as Arthur went to the garden gate to disapparate. Charlie watched his father leave before going to gather his mum.

 **oOoOo**

Molly jumped up from the couch when her Aunt Muriel's fireplace roared to life and Charlie stepped out, eager to see how things went. She knew Ginny and figured it would be a fight to get her to leave the Burrow.

"Where's Ginny?" she asked worriedly when she realized no one else was coming through the floo.

"Everything is fine, Mum," her son reassured. "There were some…issues this morning, but then Dad came in and took care of things." Before Molly could speak, he hastened to add, "He didn't cause any trouble. In fact, he made this big speech about how everything was his fault and that we were right and Ginny needed to stay with you. He wouldn't even let George go with him."

"Well, where's your sister?" Molly asked fiercely, thinking Charlie had left her at the Burrow with Arthur.

Picking up on her concern, he said, "I made sure Dad was gone. He didn't think it was fair for everyone to have to leave because of him, so he said for you to move back in and that you wouldn't have to worry about him coming around. Also, he said to tell you that he didn't mean anything he said last night and that it was wrong for him to say those things."

Molly wasn't sure what to think of this last statement. No longer could she believe anything her husband said. How could she discern if this was said out of honesty or because he wanted to get back in her good graces? Arthur could have done everything that morning just to get her to forgive him without meaning a word.

Noticing his mother's facial expression change as she contemplated this Charlie said, "I have no doubt he was being sincere." Molly nodded, still not entirely certain. "Are you ready to go home?" he asked.

His mother nodded again, hating how he called it 'home'. The Burrow would never be home without Arthur there. But he hadn't been there in weeks, though, had he? Not the Arthur she always knew.

 **oOoOo**

Once they arrived back at the Burrow, Molly ascended the stairs to her bedroom. A feeling of deja vu overcame her as soon as she opened the door. The scene was similar to that of two weeks ago, but this time the closet was completely empty, seeing as she had packed all of her clothes the night before also.

Closing the door behind her, she made her way to the bed and set her bag down. With a flick of her wand, everything in her bag was sent flying to its proper place. Another flick, and the drawers and closet door closed. Molly sighed exasperatedly when one of the closet doors didn't completely shut. She walked over to investigate.

She tried pushing it together, but it still wouldn't close. Opening the door, she looked up at one of the hinges and made her way down the others. There was nothing wrong. Then she looked at the floor to find one of Arthur's button-up shirts lying in a heap. _He must have dropped it this morning,_ Molly thought as she picked it up and began putting it on a hanger in his side of the closet. She wasn't going to throw it out. She couldn't. That shirt was the last thing she had of Arthur until he sorted himself out…Well, _if_ he ever got himself sorted out which, if he did, it would take a long time, and even longer for her to trust him again.

There wasn't time to pursue thoughts and questions that rushed through Molly's head as she had to make lunch for the inhabitants of the Burrow. She hadn't seen any of the kids since she had gotten back.

"Oh, there you two are. I was about to send someone to find you," Molly said as she glanced up from the sandwiches she was making to see Ginny and Harry entering through the back door.

Harry stopped in the kitchen to speak with Mrs. Weasley. Ginny, however, paid her mother no attention.

"How are you, Mrs. Weasley?" Harry inquired softly.

Mrs. Weasley gave a sad smile and replied, "I think I'll make it. How is Ginny?"

"Oh. Um. She's just a bit upset is all," Harry partially lied.

Ginny made it up the stairs to George's closed bedroom door. Not even bothering to knock, she walked straight in and sat next to him on his bed.

George was taken aback by his sister's abrupt entrance. "Ginny?"

"What?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Um. What are you doing?" George asked curiously.

"Checking on you."

"Ok…And?"

"You aren't going to start looking yourself in here again, are you?" Ginny asked, genuinely concerned.

George shrugged.

"You are not," his little sister stated matter-of-factly.

"Ginny -" George began to protest.

"No, George. There is no reason for you to regress. You've even said you're going to reopen the shop next weekend."

"I do to have a good reason."

"Mum leaving Dad again is not a good reason."

"I didn't say that was my reason."

"Ok. Fine. What is it then?" Ginny stared at her brother, waiting on an acceptable answer.

"…I just thought Dad would let me go with him."

"If you hadn't noticed, he didn't let anyone go with him."

"Yeah, but...he opened up to me a couple times when he wouldn't talk to anyone else."

"What about?"

"That's just it. He told me, in complete confidence, things that no one else knows. I just thought...Well I don't know...I thought maybe he trusted me more than everyone else or that there was a stronger bond between us or…I don't know. It's stupid."

"Dad is having a really tough time right now. Maybe if we give him some space he'll come around. But for the time being we should put out those flyers for the grand reopening."

"Okay," George conceded.

"Come on." Ginny led George downstairs and out the front door in order to avoid their mum.

 **oOoOo**

Bill was sitting at his desk at Gringott's when he received an owl from Charlie. It requested that he take his lunch break as soon as possible and meet his brother at Shell Cottage.

"Charlie!" Bill called as he entered his house.

"In here!" Charlie called back from the kitchen.

"Is everything alright?" Bill asked worriedly.

"That depends on your definition of 'alright'." Charlie paused as he began pulling out the take away he brought. "Mum left him again. This time for good, I think."

"What happened? Bill asked quietly as he took a seat at the table.

"Yesterday I saw that her wrist was bruised again. When I asked her about it she told me everything. How he's been drinking again, more than he ever has. How he's been mistreating her, physically and emotionally." Charlie looked his older brother in the eye. "Bill, our Father is a brute." He wasn't going to beat around the bush.

"That's not our Father, Charlie."

"No, Bill, he is. He hasn't been imperio'd, or possessed, or anything else. Physically and biologically he is our Father."

Bill thought for a moment. "I can't argue there," Bill said. And he really couldn't argue that point. No matter what they said or what excuses they tried to make, Arthur was the same person. He was their dad. The man who raised them.

A few moments passed in silence as they both ate before Charlie spoke up again.

"You know what really gets me, Bill, is that it's my fault all this happened again."

"That's not true. Why would you even think that?"

"The day we all went into the village, I was the first up, and when I passed Dad on the couch he reeked of alcohol. I didn't do anything because Mum didn't want anything to happen to the family. Apparently, since the whole thing with Conner, Dad has been treating Mum horribly. I didn't even notice something was wrong until last night. It's been going on for days."

"Charlie, you couldn't have known, especially if they were trying to keep it a secret."

A few more minutes passed in silence. Charlie was only picking at his food now.

"Did you know that we were supposed to have another sister?" Charlie asked quietly.

Bill was taken aback. He had no clue where this was coming from. Then it all rushed back to him.

 _"Mummy is having another baby!" Molly announced excitedly to little Billy._

 _"You're going to have a little sister! Isn't that exciting, Billy?" Arthur asked his firstborn._

"Apparently she was still born," Charlie stated.

 _"Did Mummy have Gracie yet?" an excited three and a half year old Bill asked as his dad came in through Grandma and Grandpa Weasley's kitchen._

 _A redfaced, exhausted looking Arthur picked his oldest son up and carried him to the couch._

 _"Son...Billy, something happened, and you aren't going to have a little sister anymore," Arthur said gently._

 _"Oh." Little Billy adopted his dad's somber mood. "Daddy? Are you sad?"_

 _Arthur nodded._

 _"Is Mummy sad?"_

 _Arthur nodded again._

 _Little Billy hugged his dad as tightly as he could. Sobs racked Arthur's body as he held on to his son for dear life._

"I completely forgot about that," Bill said as he came out of his reverie. "Mum and Dad were so excited, but then…" Bill trailed off. "They never talked about her in front of me again, so naturally I forgot…How did you find out about her? You can't have remembered that. You were just one and a half."

"When Mum confronted Dad last night he brought it up and blamed her."

"Did he mean it?"

Charlie shrugged. "Sounded like it but after he sobered up he said that he didn't."

Silence fell again, each brother thinking about their forgotten sister.

"I hear the castle will be fully repaired within the next day or two," Bill broke the silence.

"Yeah. There are just a few minor details left."

"What are you going to do when it's finished?"

"Well, I was gonna go back to Romania, but with everything that's happened..." Charlie trailed off.

"Don't let this keep you from doing what you love. Mum will be fine. She has all of us here."

"I know. It just doesn't seem right. I feel like I need to be here now."

"It's up to you, Charlie."

 **A/N: Alright, y'all. Chapter 14 finally. It's not the best written chapter, but I think it says what it needs to. I know I had said within a week, but I am so sporadic with my writing and then school started back. Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. There's more to come. The next chapter will have Percy and Arthur, and hopefully I won't take as long getting it posted.**

 **Please leave reviews!**


	15. Percy's Confrontation

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews and favorites everyone! I've worked on this chapter whenever I had time. Classes have been a bit hectic with it getting close to the end of the semester and all.**

 **Here's y'all a Thanksgiving present! Chapter 15.**

 **Percy's Confrontation**

After a pleasant weekend with Audrey, Percy decided to pop in on his dad before work. He hadn't had a chance to talk to him since early last week, and not seeing Arthur at The Burrow the previous Tuesday night concerned him. Percy felt awful about not talking to his dad for a week especially with everything that had been going on, but work comes first with Percy unless it's a life-or-death family matter.

The door to Arthur and Perkin's office was open, so Percy didn't bother knocking. Arthur was the only one there at the moment. It was a little early for Perkins to be at work just yet.

"Good morning, Dad. How was your weekend?" Percy greeted cheerfully before taking in the scene in front of him. He wasn't always the best when it came to assessing a social situation beforehand.

The already cluttered little office was even more crowded. This was due to Arthur's large duffle bag sitting in one corner. Then Percy got a better look at his father since he had looked up from his paperwor. Dark circles hung under his eyes and short stubble covered his chin.

"What are you doing here, Percy?" Arthur asked bluntly. "I'm sure one of your brothers told you I didn't want anyone around."

Percy resembled a deer in headlights. "Uh – Um – Wait – What - What happened?" he stammered.

Arthur scoffed. "Like you don't know?"

Eyebrows furrowed, Percy responded honestly, "No. No, I don't."

Arthur looked at his son quizzically. "Really?"

"Really. I haven't had time to talk to anyone." Percy took a seat across from his father. "Dad, what happened?"

Looking at his desk, Arthur began, "Thursday night," he took a deep breath and glanced up at Percy before returning his gaze to the desk, "she left me." After saying this, Arthur looked his son in the eye.

Percy was astonished. Unable to find words, he leaned forward and put his head in his hands. Dozens of thoughts buzzed through his mind from why no one had told him to what could have ruined his parents' perfect relationship. Finally, Percy had found a single word.

"Why?" He looked up at his dad, waiting for an answer.

"After that big misunderstanding Monday, I tried talking to her like she's been wanting, but she wouldn't hear it and started ignoring me altogether. I didn't think she cared anymore, so I stopped caring as well. That led to some decisions which led to this."

"You can't just stop caring. I couldn't just stop caring about Audrey, and we have only been together two years. You and Mum have been together for thirty, _and_ you're the perfect couple," Percy said indignantly.

"Nothing is perfect, Percy."

"Do you mean that if even if the war hadn't gone the way it did, you two still would have separated?" Percy was beginning to sound like a small child.

Arthur shook his head. "No. No. I highly, _highly_ doubt that. Everything was how it had always been. All I'm saying is that our relationship had its obstacles like everyone else's."

"…Have you heard from Mum?" Percy asked hesitantly.

"No. I wasn't expecting to either."

"Oh. How about anyone else?" This question brought back the thought of why Percy's brothers hadn't informed him about their parents.

"I made it clear to them that I need to work through things on my own."

"Well, where are you staying?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

"…I'm staying here."

Now Percy was becoming angry and defiant against his older brothers and mother for not keeping him in the loop and not checking on their dad. "Stay at my flat," Percy offered.

"No," Arthur immediately answered.

"Why not? It's better than staying here. Besides, you need a shave and, I doubt you could get a good shower in the auror training room," Percy argued.

"No, Percy. I'm going to tell you the same thing I told them." Just then, Perkins entered the office, greeting the two Weasleys in the process; Arthur and Percy reciprocated. Then Arthur continued in a hushed voice. "I need to deal with things on my own."

Percy adopted his father's hushed tone, but was still firm. "Dad, I'm not taking no for an answer. You don't have to talk to me about anything unless you want to. You can come and go as you please. No questions will be asked."

"I doubt I'll ever be there, Percy. Between work and…" Arthur trailed off, not disclosing where else he would be, although it was hardly a secret.

Percy understood what his father wasn't saying, but it didn't matter to him if Arthur had gone back to drinking. He felt like his family was intentionally leaving him out, so no matter what happened he would take his dad's side.

"You'll at least have a comfortable place to stay and hot meals when you are there." Now thinking about it, it didn't look like his dad had eaten much all weekend either. "We'll go to lunch today, and this evening we'll get you set up in my flat."

"The others won't take too kindly to this," Arthur attempted one last time to get Percy to change his mind.

"If they cared, they would have kept me informed," Percy replied as he stood to leave.

"Fine, but I'll only move in under those conditions…Oh. Don't worry about lunch. I won't be hungry."

"Yeah," Percy said sarcastically. "I'll see you at noon."

 **oOoOo**

That evening after getting Arthur settled into Percy's flat, they both left and went their separate ways; Arthur to his usual night time activities, and Percy to the Burrow and Shell Cottage to confront his family and hear his mother's side of the story. To Percy's pleasure, Bill opened the door at the Burrow with a scowl on his face. Good, he could kill two birds with one stone.

Bill had been half expecting to see Percy on the other side of the door. He wasn't too happy with his younger, pompous brother. It had been days since their parents had separated, and he was just now coming to see his mother. He probably thought he could waltz right in and everything would be okay.

"Excellent. You're here," Percy said in a business-like tone before taking the initiative to allow himself in.

"What do you want, Percy?" Bill asked curtly, upset with his brother for the lack of support he showed his family. "We're in the middle of supper."

Upon obtaining this information, Percy strode into the kitchen with his older brother on his heels. So now they were having family dinners without him? Percy had known Bill and Fleur had moved out, so this wasn't a regular dinner. Was he even part of this family anymore?

Everyone stopped eating and became quiet as they looked up at an irate Percy.

"Look, I know I've made mistakes the past few years. I'm sorry about everything I did and didn't do in the past, alright? That's just it though. The past is the past. No one can change it. How many times do I have to apologize before I'm accepted back? I thought you all forgave me. Apparently not though, considering you are now having a family dinner without inviting me and, _more importantly_ , no one bothered telling me that Mum left Dad again! I shouldn't have to stumble upon information like that days after it happened. Was anyone ever going to tell me?

"And no one has even checked on him all weekend. I know he told everyone to leave him alone, but that doesn't give you an excuse! Did any of you even try? He's been living out of his office, and probably hasn't eaten much in just as long." Percy paused to catch his breath and reel in some of his anger, his face beet red.

This tirade from a usually calm, reserved Percy shocked everyone into silence. Everyone was staring at Percy, except Bill who was glaring at Charlie and Molly who was glaring at Bill. They all thought he knew what had happened and was just being his normal pretentious self by not showing support. Before Percy could begin again, Bill broke the silence.

"You didn't tell him?" Bill asked Charlie sternly.

Charlie immediately defended himself. "I thought you would. You're the one who handles this stuff!"

"You had the reigns on this one. You can't take partial responsibility and assume I'll take care of the rest, especially if you don't even tell me."

"Sorry, Perce," Charlie apologized, a bit embarrassed.

"As for the family dinner," Bill said, "we didn't think you cared since you never responded. But I guess we know what happened there…" Bill glanced at Charlie.

"Sorry," Charlie mumbled.

"Just make sure one of you tell me from now on," Percy spoke to his two older brothers as his mum embraced him.

"Why don't you stay for a spot of dinner, dear?" Molly requested. "We're having our own celebration for the rebuilding of Hogwarts being completed."

Percy had already eaten supper, but accepted his mother's invitation anyway. Throughout the rest of the meal, excited chatter filled the house. It was almost as if things had never changed.

No one had brought up the subject of Romania until Charlie stood up while his mother was setting the desserts on the table. Charlie cleared his throat to gain the attention of his family. "I have an announcement!"

The room became quiet and everyone looked to Charlie expectantly.

"I have been thinking about this for a while. And I have finally decided that I am not going back to Romania. I'm going to move back here, to England."

"You do realize there still aren't any dragons here, don't you?" Ron asked.

"I know."

"Where will you work? You hate being indoors," George pointed out.

"I've been offered a job at Hogwarts. I'll be working with Hagrid," Charlie answered.

"Well, I think that's wonderful, dear," Molly beamed. "Although, I am curious as to what brought this on."

"I just feel like I need to be here now, what with everything that's happened."

"Charlie, if you're staying here for me, I'll be fine. I've enjoyed you being here, but go back to Romania if that's what you'd rather do."

"No, Mum, it's more than that, alright? I love dragons, but this is where I need to be now."

"Okay. I just don't want you to be unhappy because of me."

"I won't be unhappy," Charlie reassured.

"If that's what you really want then."

Everyone was happy for Charlie, and glad he would be closer to the family now.

After dessert was finished, the four oldest boys went out to the garden, leaving the girls to clean up the kitchen and Ron and Harry to their escapades.

When they were a good ways away from the house Bill asked Percy, "So you talked to Dad then?"

Percy looked up from a garden gnome he had just kicked. "Huh? Oh. Yeah."

"And?" Charlie asked, drawing out the word.

"And what?" Percy asked.

"What did he say?"

"Not much. He wasn't in a talking mood," Percy answered honestly.

"You said he was living in his office?"

"Yes, he was."

Charlie gave a snort of laughter. All three of his brothers looked at him in disbelief. They found nothing funny about that.

"How is that funny?" Percy asked defensively.

"I find it amusing because he could have stayed here, but instead he's living in a large closet. Why didn't he rent a room somewhere? I'm sure he would love the convenience of staying at the Leaky Cauldron or Three Broomsticks," Charlie said bitterly.

"For one, there aren't any rooms available anywhere, and two, he isn't living in his office now. He's staying with me," Percy bravely informed his brother, expecting to be scolded. He had gotten a good feeling of how each person was viewing this situation during dinner.

" _What_?" Charlie exclaimed angrily. "I'll bet he told you a load of shit to make you feel sorry for him. He's using you"

"Yeah, Perce. What were you thinking?" Bill attacked.

"That he shouldn't have to live in a bloody office!" Percy said as if his brothers were stupid. "Actually, Charlie," he glared at his hot-tempered brother, "he isn't using me. I had to practically force him to move in. Our father would never use one of us. And Dad took full responsibility for what happened," Percy lied. This was one argument he did not want his brothers to win.

Up until this point, George had been looking on quietly, formulating his own opinion. Since Charlie had told him and his siblings what had taken place, George had mixed feelings about both of his parents. Of course, there was no way in hell he condoned what his father had done, but at the same time his mother had acted callously when Arthur was clearly in a bad place.

Bill responded before George could. "Even _I_ doubt that," Bill called out Percy's bluff.

"I don't think he even told you everything that happened," Charlie cut in. "Otherwise, you would hate him just as much as the rest of us!"

"Charlie has a valid point, Percy. You don't know everything, only his side of the story," Bill said.

George made to protest, but Percy beat him to it.

"How dare you say that! He raised us, so pardon me if I have some compassion for the man." Percy turned to his oldest brother. "You know, Bill, it doesn't surprise me that Charlie is acting like this, but you are the last person I expected to agree with something of the sort." Percy was furious. This outburst startled both of his older brothers. The only person present who had ever seen the usually reserved Percy this angry was George, and that was when Percy left the family.

George was now able to get a word in. "I agree with Percy. Sure, Dad screwed up horribly, but he is still our father. I don't hate him, but I do hate what he did. What he does doesn't define who he is. Everyone makes mistakes. Some are just worse than others," George stated calmly.

"The bastard abused Mum physically and emotionally! Charlie witnessed it," Bill yelled.

When Charlie had relayed to Bill what took place, he didn't leave the tiniest detail out. After telling Bill about Gracie, Charlie hadn't gotten the shocked and somewhat disgusted reaction he had expected that their parents would hide that from them. Bill vaguely remembered when his parents were expecting their first little girl and how upset they were when all of a sudden Mummy wasn't having a baby anymore. He had never thought much of it as he was only three at the time, but now the oldest sibling understood. What his father did and said was inexcusable in Bill's eyes.

"That doesn't give you the right to hate him!" Percy's anger was now fueled not only by his brothers, but by the revelation of what his father had done also.

After this little exchange, George concluded that he loved his Mum, but he wouldn't take a side that was so utterly spiteful, stubborn, and unforgiving.

"Merlin, you're being such a prat!" Charlie exclaimed. "I'm beginning to think it was a mistake allowing you back into the family –"

"Oi! I still agree with the four-eyed git, so if you reject him again, you'll have to reject me too," George defended his brother. "I love Mum, but I'm not turning my back on Dad."

Appalled, Charlie took George up on his offer. "Fine! I no longer consider either of you my brother for as long as you side with Dad, and I'm sure the others will agree." He looked to Bill for back up that never came.

Bill's anger had reached the point past yelling and arguing; he was now so heated that he was calm. Shaking his head at Charli, he stalked off. His little brother had made his bed now he had to sleep in it, and Bill was _not_ getting involved.

Fuming, Charlie stormed off to the house and called for the two youngest Weasleys to come outside. Within moments, Charlie had explained what had happened with "these two gits."

Unsurprisingly, Ron had done the exact same thing Charlie had; however, Ginny shocked everyone.

"Great job, prick. You just lost two brothers and your only sister," Ginny responded.

Not thinking before speaking, Charlie blurted, "Joke's on you. You're not my only sister."

Ginny, Ron, and Percy all stared at Charlie like he had sprouted an extra head.

"That's right! Ginny isn't the first girl in seven generations. There was supposed to be a girl between me and Percy, but she was premature and didn't make it."

"Mum and Dad would have told us something like that," Ginny shot back, not believing Charlie.

"Actually," George chimed in, "he's not lying. Dad told me about her a couple weeks ago. Mum was so torn up about it that they never talked about her. It was obvious how badly Dad needed to talk about Gracie, but since it was really only him and Mum that knew about her, he never got the closure he needed."

"That's the emotional abuse I was telling you about. Our father crushed Mum, blaming her for the failed pregnancy, making her think it was completely her fault, revealing that he had been lying all these years when he told her otherwise."

Charlie knew what he had just said wasn't true, that his dad had said these things out of anger and not truth, but he wanted his siblings to turn on their father; however, these revelations only split the family further. Ron was even more livid with his dad than he had been, if that was possible. On the other hand, Ginny was amazed her mother would do such a thing, keeping something so important a secret and causing her dad so much heartache. The way Charlie had thrown this information in the open as if the fact that they were supposed to have another sister was no big deal caused Percy to become even angrier with his older brother. George was a little more disappointed in his father, but he knew how keeping this bottled up for so long affected Arthur, and doubted his dad had truly meant a word.

"What a selfish bitch," Ginny seethed.

"Selfish bitch? More like self-centered jackass!" Ron countered.

"Hey! She made him keep it bottled up for two decades! It was really Mum's fault he blew up on her about it,"

"Either way, he had no right to treat her like that. He could have gone to a shrink if it was bothering him that bad,"

"Dad didn't mean it," George asserted.

"You don't know what he meant, George," Charlie cut in. "No one knows him anymore. He's been abusing Mum, for Merlin's sake! No one would have ever thought that would happen!"

"Dad needs to be helped, not shunned. You're a lousy son if you think otherwise," Percy accused.

At this, Charlie lost whatever control he had. He swung at Percy, hitting him square in the jaw. Percy's hand flew to the now aching spot, and stared at his brother in shock.

"No, I would be a lousy son if I turned a blind eye to how the jackass mistreated Mum!"

Before Charlie could continue or anyone could respond, the dragon trainer found himself on the receiving end of one of Ginny's bat-bogey hexes.

These two actions caused all hell to break loose. Hexes, jinxes, and fists were flying everywhere. It didn't last long though, as Molly and the others came running outside within minutes, wands drawn and expecting dark wizards to be attacking.

"What's going on?" Molly shouted over the noise.

Realizing there were no dark wizards about, Bill shot red sparks from the end of his wand. "Oi!"

All fighting ceased between the Weasley children. The brawling bunch's attention was drawn to their mother and oldest brother.

"What in Merlin's name is going on?" Molly demanded.

"Charlie?" Bill glared at his brother.

"What?" Charlie asked indignantly.

"I'm pretty sure you started this somehow."

"I don't know why you'd assume that. It was Percy who started it actually."

"I was merely stating a fact," Percy defended himself.

"Charlie was the first one to throw a punch," Ginny put in.

"You were the first to use your wand," Ron pointed out.

"Yeah, so Charlie wouldn't pummel Percy," Ginny shot back.

"Quiet!" Bill commanded.

"George, what happened?" Molly asked, seeing that he was the only one who hadn't spoken yet.

Not wanting to disclose the reason behind the fight for fear of upsetting his mother, George started from the middle. "Percy did state a fact, Charlie punched him, Ginny hexed Charlie, and then it got chaotic."

"But _why_? This family doesn't punch, hex, jinx, or curse each other, especially for no reason," Molly scolded.

No one made eye contact with their mother, except Ginny who spoke.

"How could you not tell us about our other sister? How could you make Dad not talk about her?" she attacked.

The Weasley matriarch's mood darkened. She had not been expecting this subject to be brought up, and it hit her like a ton of bricks. None of her kids were supposed to know about their sister, except the ones who already did. She didn't want them to find out, but if they did she wanted to tell them herself.

"Ginny..." Bill quietly warned.

"No. I think we all deserve an explanation," Ginny countered. "Families don't keep secrets like that."

Bill made to stop Ginny again, but his mum stopped him first.

"It's alright, Bill," she said quietly. "The only people that knew were your father and I and our parents. We never meant for anyone else to find out."

"That isn't an explanation."

"Okay…After all was said and done, it was just too hard for me." Molly took a deep breath. "It still is. We agreed never to talk about her because of that, so we never thought to tell any of you."

"It was extremely hard on both Mum and Dad," Bill added.

Molly was surprised Bill remembered the events that took place all those years ago since he was so young when it happened.

"Okay. So do you expect us to stop talking about Fred if it's too hard for you?"

Ginny realized she had gone too far as soon as the words left her mouth as the general atmosphere changed drastically.

"Ginny, go to your room," Bill commanded softly.

"You're not Dad. You can't tell me what to do," she retorted equally as calm.

"Dad isn't here, so yes I can. Go, now."

Once Ginny left, both Bill and Molly looked to Charlie. They had to deal with the matter at hand before handling a much larger issue.

"Why'd you hit Percy?"

"For one, he's housing the asshole Then he called me a lousy son."

"That is completely out of context," Percy interjected.

"What was the context then?" Molly questioned.

"All I said was Dad needs help not to be abandoned and if he thought otherwise he was a lousy son."

Things had already been extremely difficult on Molly. Their father had been a touchy subject for everyone lately. If that was the main reason for the fight, Bill knew they needed to end this as quickly as possible. "Apologize, both of you."

"I have nothing to apologize for," Charlie argued.

"I don't want his apology," Percy said tersely.

Charlie stormed off to the house without another word.

"Everyone else go inside as well," Bill ordered.

Everyone made their move, Ginny, Ron, Percy, and George dispersing to tend to their various injuries.

"Not you, Percy," Bill stopped his little brother. "We need to talk. Look, I know you want to help, but Dad doesn't want it -"

"- That doesn't mean we don't try," Percy interrupted.

"Okay. Let me finish. If he comes home drunk one night in a rage, there is no telling what could happen. Charlie and I have both agreed that he could easily overpower either one of us when he's boozed up. Our father is unpredictable and uncontrollable. You shouldn't have him staying with you."

"Thank you, Bill, but I'll do what I feel is right." With that, Percy led the way to the kitchen where their mother was.

"Are you alright mum?" Bill inquired.

"Yes. I just wish Charlie wouldn't have told them," Molly answered.

"I don't think he meant to. We had both agreed to let you and Dad decide."

"I'm surprised you remembered."

"I forgot about it until Charlie brought it up at Shell Cottage last week. I don't remember a lot of it, only the major parts."

Percy took the opportunity to hear his mum's side of the story while no one else was around. Percy approached the subject gently. "…Mum, what happened? I heard everyone else's views on what happened last week. I'd like to hear yours though."

Molly had known she wasn't done with the past couple months, but she still didn't like thinking about it, let alone talking about it; however, her son had questions and she did not want to leave him in the dark. "Percy, your father has become quite difficult recently. He wouldn't open up about anything. Instead, he turned to drinking. He hasn't been acting like himself at all either."

"Like I said earlier, Percy," Bill cut in, making sure his mum wouldn't have to tell Percy how her husband had been abusing her.

Percy picked up on what Bill meant and focused on the being closed off part. "Dad said he tried talking, but you wouldn't listen."

"His answer to everything was "I don't know": I don't know how I feel, I don't know why I feel this way, I don't know why I'm acting like this. He was just saying that to make me happy. He wasn't really talking."

Just then, a worried Hermione came into the kitchen looking for Bill. "Bill –Oh – Mrs. Weasley, I didn't realize you were in here." The brunette had only wanted to talk with Bill, so as not to upset Molly any more, but it was too late.

"What is it, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked, concerned.

"Um…I can't find Ginny anywhere."

"What do you mean?" Bill queried.

"She's nowhere in the house," Hermione answered.

 **A/N: Hope y'all enjoyed. Please keep reviewing. The next chapter will be quite interesting. All the Weasleys will be in the next one.**


	16. Giving Up

**Giving Up**

Ginny ducked into a side street of Hogsmeade when she saw the trademark Weasley-red hair. Knowing it wouldn't take long for the inhabitants of the Burrow to notice she was missing, she had been on high alert the moment she left. In the past couple hours, she had searched Diagon Alley and the Ministry of Magic, successfully evading every red head and raven-haired boy she saw. The youngest Weasley understood the seriousness of what had happened between her parents, and while she didn't want to cause any more trouble, she had to get away from the Burrow and her idiotic brothers.

Having run into a dead end everywhere else, Ginny entered the Hog's Head. She had come here last due to the unfriendly atmosphere and unsavory clientele; however, this was the place she should have begun with, seeing as her quarry was at the opposite end of the bar.

"Dad!" Ginny called as she made her way through the somewhat crowded pub.

Arthur took a calming breath as he heard his daughter's voice, then downed the rest of his drink. Perhaps it was his imagination. No one he knew, other than Hagrid, would be anywhere near this place. That theory was quickly proven wrong as Ginny came to sit on a stool next to him.

"Ginny, what are you doing here?" Arthur asked in an even tone.

"I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Why?" This time a hint of harshness accompanied the question.

"I know the whole story now, and I don't want anything to do with Mum," Ginny explained.

Arthur ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. "Please tell me you're not alone."

"Technically, I'm not. I'm with you now."

"For Merlin's sake, Ginny! You can't go roaming around by yourself with dark wizards still loose. At least you told someone where you were going, _right_?"

"No," Ginny answered apprehensively.

At that, Arthur stood, laid some coins on the counter, and grabbed Ginny.

"Where are we going?" Ginny exclaimed.

"I'm taking you home," he answered before calling out their destination into the green flames, not giving his daughter a chance to protest.

As soon as the two stepped out of the fireplace at the Burrow, Ginny began arguing and Arthur bellowed, "Molly!"

Having seen the hands move on the Weasley family clock and having heard the fireplace roar to life, it only took Molly a second before she came rushing into the kitchen.

"Oh, Ginny, thank goodness you're alright," the Weasley matriarch fussed over her daughter, ignoring her husband.

" _Molly, why was our daughter wandering around by herself in the middle of the night?"_ Arthur was livid.

"I was not wandering about," Ginny mumbled.

This time ignoring her daughter, Molly stood at full height and replied, "The kids had a row, and she slipped out while I was dealing with the boys."

"Ginny, go to your room. Your mother and I need to talk," Arthur ordered.

"No," Ginny countered. "I may be with you on this, but I still don't trust you around her, especially since I found you in a pub."

" _Ginny_ , go to your room," Molly commanded.

Reluctantly, Ginny stalked off.

Wanting to make sure her daughter was out of earshot before continuing, Molly decided to let the others know Ginny was home. "Send your patronus to Bill, Percy, George, and Harry. I'll get the rest," Molly told her husband.

Arthur went to pull his wand out, but hesitated. "No, you sent them out, you get them back."

"They're your kids just as much as mine."

"Yes, but I don't see why we both have to send a patronus," Arthur replied defensively.

"Fine. Just stand there and don't help me," Molly clipped.

Once Molly had sent her patronus to the search party, their conversation was continued.

"So you completely forgot about our daughter?" Arthur accused. "Sounds familiar, doesn't it?"

The last statement stung, but Molly schooled her features and ignored her husband's low blow. "It was chaotic. Afterwards, we discovered she was gone and I sent the boys to look for her."

"Perhaps it would be better if Ginny came to stay with me then, since you obviously can't control all the kids on your own."

"Not as long as you keep acting like this. Besides, you're staying with Percy, I hear."

"I wouldn't have to if you hadn't kicked me out."

"You had the option to stay here, but you turned it down."

"Because I didn't want to put anyone out!"

Losing his temper, Arthur created a new hole in the wall. This didn't faze Molly. She was used to it by now. She shouldn't have to be, but she was.

After a few deep breaths, Arthur started again. "You've caused all this. You initiated this separation."

"You didn't give me much choice," was Molly's rebuttal.

"I think Charlie made the choice, not you!"

"Charlie helped me realize how badly you were treating me. It was _my_ decision. And I thought I made myself clear that I don't want you anywhere near Ginny."

The boys along with Fleur and Hermione came in from the back door just then, but their appearance didn't disrupt Molly and Arthur's argument.

"She came looking for me!" Arthur shouted.

"Why would she do that?" Molly questioned.

"Why would she run away from home?" Arthur shot back.

"I told you," Ginny screamed from the doorway to the sitting room. "I don't want to stay here! I want to live with you! I'm on your side!"

"This family is _not_ splitting apart because of me!" Arthur hollered.

"It's a bit late for that," Bill mumbled.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Arthur turned to his eldest son.

"Everyone has already taken sides," George replied.

"No one is taking sides!" Arthur bellowed. "If you take sides, you'll just make this a bigger mess than it is!"

"We wouldn't be in this mess in the first place if you hadn't become a selfish drunk!" Ron backfired.

Before her father could make a rebuttal, Ginny interrupted, "Either way, I'm leaving. Harry and I can find a place to live. Right, Harry?" She looked at her boyfriend expectantly. This caught Harry off guard, and he really didn't want to go against Mr. or Mrs. Weasley. Lucky for him, both of Ginny's parents answered simultaneously, "You are staying here until you are seventeen!"

"Well, I'm moving back into my flat tomorrow. Could she –" George offered before he was cut off.

"No!" Molly and Arthur both interrupted.

After a second thought, Molly turned to George again, a bit hurt this time. "Wait. You're moving out? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just decided a few hours ago…"

"I bet it's because of what Charlie said earlier," Percy commented,

"I had every right! It's what I believe, and I think it's wrong for you all to support him after what he did!" Charlie defended himself. Chaos broke out as this restarted the argument from earlier that night.

"Everyone shut up!" Ginny yelled. When she gained the attention of the room, Ginny continued. "You two," she spoke to Ron and Charlie, "need to stop being complete dicks." Next she turned to her mother. "You…need to be more patient and open-minded, and actually _listen_ to what your husband has to say." Lastly, Ginny faced her father. "And you…you need to stop being an arse and talk to her so she can help.

"We've all been in a bloody war. We've all seen and done things in the past few years that no one should have to. No one should expect everyone to be the same, alright? We all lost a member of this family - We've all experienced similar things. No one can change the past, so we have to accept it and move on."

Everyone stared at the youngest Weasley. It was no surprise Ginny could be a spitfire at times. She shared her mother's and Charlie's temper after all, but the way she stood up to her parent's in that moment was shocking.

Recovering, Charlie said, "I'm not going back on what I said unless he changes." The rest of the siblings murmured their agreement.

Calmer now, Arthur said, "I'm done. I don't care anymore. If you all want to take sides – If you want to lose more brothers and sisters, go ahead. It doesn't matter to me." He got in Molly's face, pointed at Ginny, and added, "And from now on, keep a closer eye on your daughter," before storming out.

 **A/N: Sorry chapter 16 was a bit late. I had final exams and such (I made all A's btw! Haven't done that since middle school). I'm really bad about jumping ahead and working on later parts of the story also. I finished this last night and could have posted it but I was unsure if I was going to have the next part in this chapter or the next.**

 **I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. I love getting feedback from everyone, and I'm glad y'all are taking sides and have mixed feelings about this. If you want to see anything in particular, let me know and I'll see if I can work it out in the story.**

 **Chapter 17 will be up soon, seeing as it is about halfway written. It will start off with Percy and Arthur (uh-oh).**

 **Please keep reading and reviewing! See y'all in a few days or a week.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I finally got all 8 HP movies so I can watch whenever I want. I wish everyone a Happy New Year!**

 **Thank you for all the reviews. In the last chapter, I didn't mean for Ginny to come across as a rash brat, but it is all how you interpret it (That is why I like stories more than movies, you get to use your imagination). And Molly and Arthur are my OTP also. Arthur is actually my favorite character in the series, believe it or not.**

 **I don't have a title for this chapter yet, so if y'all have any ideas that would be a great help.**

 **That being said, here is Chapter 17! Hope y'all enjoy! I love getting feedback, good or bad.**

On his morning break two days later, Percy walked briskly through the halls of the Ministry. After his father stormed out of the Burrow, Percy had not had the chance to speak with him, seeing as he never came back to the flat. Percy slowed down as he approached and entered the office for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts.

"Good morning," the young redhead greeted the two occupants before taking a seat across from Arthur.

Perkins returned his greetings; however, Arthur did not. He knew this would not be a friendly visit from his son, and Percy did not hesitate to make that known.

"You haven't been back to the flat. Where did you go? I've been worried."

"That's my business," Arthur quickly responded.

Not wanting this conversation to turn into an argument before he got to the real reason he was there, Percy let it go and then asked, "Are you going to the flat tonight?"

Arthur sighed. "I don't know, Percy."

"I need a definite answer so I know to make you dinner or not."

"Don't bother."

A moment of silence passed before Percy decided to move on to the first order of business. "You're going to the joke shop's grand reopening Saturday, aren't you?"

"It depends on what I have planned."

"George really wants you there. He won't say it, but George wants you there more than anyone else. He doesn't need his sister, or brothers, or even his mother there. He needs his father," Percy stated.

"What if I have to work?"

"You can spare thirty minutes for your son. No matter how busy you've been, you have always found time for your kids."

"Are you going to be like this all the time if I stay with you?" Arthur asked bluntly.

"What?" Percy replied, taken aback.

"You had said no questions asked, yet here you are asking questions, nagging, and telling me what to do. If you're going to do this all the time, then I'll be getting my things tonight so I don't have to put up with it."

"No one has seen or heard from you in two days…You know what, I don't even know why I'm still going to help you. It was all miscommunication why I wasn't told – Hold on. Wait. I do know. I don't want to see you on the streets or living out of your office because that's pathetic."

"You know what's pathetic?" Arthur came back. "Thirty years thrown away and siblings turning against each other because of their parents! _That_ is pathetic."

"You're the one that brought all that on!" Percy countered, standing up.

"It may have started with me, but when I tried opening up that cunt wouldn't listen! So it's her fault now!" Arthur hollered.

Turning to the older, white-haired man, Percy asked, "Perkins, do you mind?" The man gladly made himself scarce.

Leaning on the desk, Percy got an inch from his dad's face and lowered his voice. "Are you drunk or have you gone completely mad? Even in the state you've been in, you wouldn't call Mum something like that."

Arthur leaned back in his chair. "It's not affecting my ability to work."

Straightening back up, Percy ran his fingers through his hair. "That's against Ministry policy!"

"I rarely drink at work," the older Weasley calmly replied.

"Either way, if Minister Shacklebolt finds out, you'll get sacked, and you can't afford that."

"The only way Kingsley -"

"- Minister Shacklebolt -' Percy interrupted.

"- would find out is if you told him, Mr. Undersecretary."

Percy began pacing around the small room. His father was putting him in a tough spot, having to choose between his dad and the Ministry.

"So, are you going to tell him?" Arthur asked after a few minutes.

Sighing, Percy made his decision, not directly choosing between either. "I won't lie if he asks."

"If I were anyone else, you would tell Kingsley immediately. You're not going to tell him just because I'm your dad," Arthur accused.

All Percy could do was shrug.

"I don't need your help, or anyone else's for that matter." Arthur didn't want special treatment from anyone for any reason. "I'd much rather deal with everything by myself! Your brothers understand that and hopefully your sister does too now, so why is it so difficult for you to understand?"

"I've already lost three years with you! I don't want to miss any more! I hate seeing you like this, but I'd rather have to see you in your worst time than not see you at all. Plus, I want to help…Let me help."

"I don't need help. There's nothing wrong!" Arthur's voice and temper rose as he stood abruptly.

"There's nothing wrong? Have you seen yourself recently? Have you seen what you're doing to yourself? How everything is falling apart? And what you did at the Burrow was completely uncalled for! I don't care what you think. This all leads back to you. Everything that has happened is no one else's fault but your own. You need to figure out what's going on before you hurt anyone else.

"And apparently I'm the only one that understood what Ginny said the other night. I know people won't be the same. I know no one can change the past. Believe me, if that were possible, I would go back to before I disowned my family, I would go back and save Fred, but I can't. I accept that and I have to live with that. We _all_ have to live with our mistakes and what has taken place in the past. It seems like only Ginny, George, and I understand that. You and Mum should get that too. You are both older and have lived through more than we have. No one - Nothing can help until you've gotten that through your thick skull. I can't help. Mum can't help. Bill can't help. _Booze_ can't help."

Arthur spoke more calmly now, but no less fierce. "No, I understand all that. I understand all that _perfectly_. _That_ is _not_ what I have an issue with."

"Well, what do you have an issue with?"

"Like I said, I tried opening up -"

Percy quickly interrupted. "Are you sure you chose the right opportunity? As I heard it, you tried talking to her when you were plastered. How is she supposed to believe anything you say when you are drunk?"

"It's her turn to take a step. I did what I could. Whatever decision she makes now is not my fault. Whatever happens from this point forward is not. My. Fault. Now, if that's all you have to say, get out."

Not moving. Percy glared at his father.

" _Get out,_ " Arthur repeated through gritted teeth. This time Percy turned on his heel and rushed out of the office. Seeing his father like this hurt him more than he would let on. He knew that if Arthur was sober, that conversation would have gone very differently.


	18. The Grand Re-Opening

**A/N: Two chapters in two days!**

 **I wanted to give y'all a new year's present. I hope y'all enjoy Chapter 18.**

 **Edit: I didn't realize that there were a few words left off at the end of this chapter when I posted it, so it is fixed now.**

 **The Grand Re-Opening**

Saturday morning rolled around, and Bill and Fleur met Molly and Hermione at the Burrow before heading to Diagon Alley. Harry and Ginny were already at the joke shop as they were helping George out. No matter how hard the Weasley matriarch tried, she could not convince either of her hard-headed sons to see their brother. Ron wouldn't even listen to Hermione. It broke Molly's heart with how everything was going. Her life had been flipped upside down; however, right now was not the time to think about that.

The group could barely make their way through the aisles half an hour after Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes had opened its doors. Kids were shouting, vials were bubbling, and trinkets were making an array of noises. The store had returned to its normal before the war had disrupted all businesses in Diagon Alley.

Molly spotted Ginny helping a customer and Harry at the cash register before finding George who was bounding down the staircase.

"Hello, everyone!" George exclaimed, a broad grin on his face.

"This is amazing, George! It looks like it's busier than it used to be," Hermione marveled.

"Yeah, I hope you have enough people working. Ginny and Harry would probably pass out before lunch," Bill commented.

"Verity is back. Lee, Angelina, and Katie are helping out for the meantime as well. Do you want to come into my office where it's not so loud?"

"Thank you, but Bill and I must get to work. We only had a few minutes to pop in," Fleur stated.

"She's right. Sorry, George," Bill apologized. "I'm glad everything is going well."

"I understand. Thanks for stopping by," George bid farewell. "Mum? Hermione?"

"Actually, I'm going to look around some. You don't have to wait around for me, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said.

""Whatever you want is on the house, Hermione," George called after her as she weaved her way through the crowd. "Alright, Mum, this way."

Once in the back office, Molly enveloped her son in a bear hug. It had been too crowded to do so in the store. "I am so proud of you, George," she said, patting his cheek. "Fred would be happy you opened back up," she choked.

"I know, Mum," George replied through a watery smile.

Clearing her throat, Molly asked, "So, how have you been, out on your own?"

Nodding, George replied, "I've been good. It's different, but not bad."

"You can move back home if you still aren't ready?"

"No, Mum, really. I'm fine," George assured her.

Mother and son spent the next ten minutes talking until there was a knock on the door and Ginny's head popped in. Not even looking at her mother, she informed George of an upset customer before disappearing again. This behavior was nothing new to Molly. Ever since she was told she couldn't move out until her birthday, Ginny had been colder toward her mother than she had been before.

"I guess I'll leave you to it then," Molly told George as she stood.

"I'll see you later, Mum. Love you," George said, hugging his mother.

"I love you too, Georgie."

The conversation left both Weasleys distracted. It had nothing to do with the content of the talk, but the person they were talking to. For George, he was still upset with his mum for the way she had been treating the situation with his dad, but he loved her no less. Molly sensed George's feelings and suspected that was why he moved out in the first place even though he had not explicitly stated his reasoning. She also had an itching feeling that he had lied to her about being fine by himself.

Consumed in her thoughts, Molly bumped into someone, which was already difficult to avoid with how packed the store was. Strong hands grabbed her by the shoulders, steadying her.

"Molly?" a thick Irish accent asked.

Looking up, Molly's eyes met a piercing green gaze. "Conner?"

"We really need to stop meeting like this," Conner chuckled. "How have you been?"

"Oh, I've…I've been alright. And you?"

"I can't complain. Did things work out with your husband? Is he any better?" Conner inguired innocently.

At this, Molly stiffened. "Um – No…No, not really. I – I actually kicked him out. And things have been so topsy-turvy recently, I can't think straight," she quietly answered.

His expression softening, Conner apologized, "I'm so sorry to hear that…Would you like to get some coffee and talk about it? Or just try and clear your head?"

Appalled, Molly accused, "Are you asking me on a date? I am still a married woman and –"

"No, no, no," Conner interrupted. "I'm sorry. I meant as friends. I thought it might be good to get away from everything for a little while."

Molly deflated. "Oh, okay then. I don't suppose that could hurt."

 **oOoOo**

After a long week, it was finally Saturday, and Percy was eating lunch at his kitchen table when his father finally came out of the guest bedroom.

"Good morning, Dad. There's some stuff for sandwiches, or I made pancakes this morning," Percy stated politely.

"Thank you, Percy," Arthur acknowledged as he began fixing himself a cup of coffee and plate of pancakes.

Father and son were on better terms than they were Wednesday. When Arthur had come back to the flat to get his things after work, Percy had stopped him. By that time, Arthur had sobered up and was thinking clearly, so the two were able to have a civil discussion.

"I was waiting to see if you wanted to go with me to see George," Percy began. "Mum and Bill went earlier this morning, so you don't have to worry about running into them. I don't think Charlie and Ron were planning on going at all." He wouldn't say anything about his father's late night the night before as that was one of the stipulations they had gone over earlier in the week.

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Arthur replied, "Um – Yeah, yeah. Let me finish this and get ready, and I'll go with you."

"Great!" the young man beamed. It had been unclear if Arthur would go to the joke shop even after their talk, so this was a nice surprise. Now Percy just hoped his dad would shave before they went.

"Oh, Dad, you'll be on your own for dinner tonight," Percy said even though his father was never there for dinner.

"Hmm, and why is that?" Arthur speculated, knowing his son was only wanting to tell him some bigger news.

"I'm…I'm proposing to Audrey tonight!" The smile that spread across Percy's face could light up a room.

Clapping his son on the back, Arthur returned the smile "Good luck, Son. She's a nice girl. I'm sure she'll say yes. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad."

 **oOoOo**

An hour later, Percy and Arthur entered Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. The shop was still as noisy and crowded as ever. They spotted George straight away as he was helping a customer at the front of the store. The two observed a nearby display while they waited.

As soon as he was finished, George rushed over to his father and brother and hugged them both.

"Hey, Percy. Dad, you came!" Neither Arthur nor Percy had seen a smile that big adorn George's face in years.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Son," Arthur grinned. "This is brilliant. I'm sure you'll sleep like a rock tonight."

"Busiest day since we've been in business."

Since Arthur hadn't seen the store recently and Percy had never seen it, George showed them around, ending with the muggle magic tricks; however, this didn't get an enthusiastic response out of his dad like he expected. Before George or Percy could ask about it, Ginny approached them.

"Hey, Percy."

"Hey, Ginny. Busy day today, eh?"

"Hi, Dad," Ginny said timidly. The whole reason she came over here was to see her dad, but after what happened, she was a bit uneasy.

"Hey, sweetie," Arthur held out his arms to hug his daughter who relaxed a little. "I'm sorry about the other night. You have to understand that it still isn't safe to go out by yourself, especially at night. It scares me to think what could've happened if you ran into the wrong person."

"Okay, Daddy. I'm sorry too," Ginny apologized. "Can we talk in the office for a minute?"

Arthur nodded then followed his daughter through the crowd. George was about to protest before Percy stopped him and mouthed that their dad was sober. This gave the brothers a chance to talk more openly.

After making sure his dad was out of earshot, George faced Percy. "Has he said anything to you? Used to, Dad couldn't get enough of this," George gestured to the muggle magic tricks..

"Honestly, George, I've barely seen him all week. Until this morning, I wasn't sure if he was even coming. "

"Should we ask him?"

"About what's bothering him?"

George nodded.

Thinking for a minute, Percy shook his head. "Not right now. He's having a good day, and I don't want to make him mad."

"Merlin, I hate this." George rubbed his hands over his face. "I wish things would go back to normal. The war fucked everything up."

Percy sighed. "I know. But we have to accept it and move on, and we can't make Dad do that. It's up to him."

George nodded his understanding. "You know, when Mum was here this morning, she tried getting me to move back to the Burrow. I told her I was fine here."

"Are you?" Percy questioned.

"Pfft. No, but I'm not moving back home. I feel bad that Ginny has to stay there. She only has Harry and Hermione really…Do you think Dad could stay with me?"

"George…I doubt he'd go for it. It was hard enough for me to convince him to stay at my place."

"I can try though, right?"

Percy shrugged. "I don't see why not."

Ginny and Arthur rejoined them, having worked things out. Being older and more mature than their sister, George and Percy knew it was temporary because next time Ginny encountered a drunken Arthur, things would fall apart again. They hadn't the heart to tell her though.

"Dad," George began, "it's been pretty tough, living by myself. I was wondering if you'd like to move in?"

"I'm sorry, George, but I'm not sure I'd be much help."

"Of course you would," George protested.

"I'm at work late most days, "Arthur lied. "So it wouldn't be all that different."

Getting rid of his sister, George asked, "Ginny, will you go give Verity a break?"

"Sure. Bye, Percy. Bye, Daddy," Ginny agreed, hugging her brother and pecking her dad on the cheek.

Waiting until she was a fair distance away, George turned back to his dad. "I know you and Mum said 'no,' but what about Ginny? She keeps telling me how much she hates it at home, and I need someone here…" George looked at his dad pleadingly.

Arthur thought for a moment. His son had a good point. Ginny had just told him how she hated it at the Burrow. There really was no reason to deny his request.

"What about Harry?" Arthur inquired.

"He's only staying there for Ginny. If she moves in with me, he can too. Or there's Grimmauld Place."

"Alright, it's fine with me," Arthur conceded. "But it's ultimately up to your mother."

"Can you talk with her? It's just that, this morning I told her I was fine here by myself because she was trying to get me to move back." George knew it was highly unlikely that his dad would agree and if he did, it would be a tense conversation between his parents, but he gave it a shot.

Running a hand through his hair, Arthur let out a deep breath. This was not a conversation he would like to have. Currently, _any_ conversation with Molly was not a conversation he'd like to have. This was for his son though, and his daughter in a way. He agreed.

"Okay. I can come by tonight after you close. Get your mother here, and don't say anything to Ginny yet. The three of us can sit down and talk."

"Thank you, Dad. Thank you. _Thank_ you," George beamed. "Well, I need to get back to work. I'm glad you came by," he said, hugging his brother and father in turn. "I'll see you around nine tonight, Dad?"

"I'll see you tonight, Son," Arthur confirmed. This would impede his own plans, but he wanted to be there for his kids.

 **A/N: Alright, so I hope y'all liked this one. I actually had not thought any on this chapter until I started writing it a couple days ago.**

 **Dark Noct, thank you for your review. I am glad you are enjoying the story. Honestly, I don't think I've ever read one of those types of stories, but if it is beginning to become cliché please let me know as I am not a big fan of clichés either. There are probably more good dads/husbands out there than bad ones. Mine is one of the former. Best dad ever! I hope you continue to read and enjoy.**

 **Everyone else, please keep reading and reviewing. I kind of know how the conversation will go about Ginny living with George, but not sure about anything else for the next chapter, so if there is anything y'all want to see let me know.**


	19. A Proposal and A Proposition

**A Proposal and A Proposition**

With Percy gone on his big, important date, Arthur had the flat to himself. If all went as planned, it would be late before Percy even returned. Therefore, there was no need to go spend a lot of money at a bar or pub. He could just pop out to the liquor store and save several sickles.

Arthur had been stretched out on the sofa and the next thing he knew he was flat on his back on the floor. Rubbing his forehead, he sighed then returned to his previous spot. The clock across the room read 9:23. He thought he had dozed off, but he had been asleep for nearly two hours.

 _Damn. I was supposed to be at George's twenty minutes ago_ , Arthur thought. However, he couldn't bring himself to make a move. Naps were supposed to make you feel better, weren't they? How come he felt worse than when he had nodded off then? Good news was that he was still drunk. Arthur picked up the bottle from the table and resumed his earlier activities. He could talk to George and Molly some other time.

It wasn't twenty minutes later that Percy's fireplace roared to life. Not being bothered to move, Arthur stayed sat on the couch as his son stepped through.

Sighing, George shook his head. "I should've known. You know, I was hoping you had just fallen asleep or just simply forgotten."

"I did fall asleep," Arthur pointed out, still not getting up.

Ignoring his father, he continued, "...No, I can't be that lucky, can I?" Pausing, George looked around the small flat. "Where's Percy?"

"On a special date with Audrey," was his father's simple answer.

"Does he know what you're doing right now?" George asked, not wanting to believe his older brother would allow something such as this to take place in his house.

After taking another pull of firewhisky, Arthur snidely replied, "Not unless he's psychic, which I highly doubt he is. The boy is just book smart. That can only get you so far in life. I'm surprised he's made it this far with such restricted intelligence."

"Dad, how could you say that? Percy's brilliant and ambitious. He's made it farther than any of us could in a lifetime. I mean, he has one of the highest positions in the Ministry. On top of that, he's letting you stay here regardless of your actions."

Arthur abruptly stood, having to balance himself as he did so. "Are you saying that I'm not ambitious? That I couldn't get to that position if I wanted to?"

A flashback of Arthur and Percy's row from a few years ago flitted through George's mind. Crap. He did not choose his words wisely.

"No! That's not at all what I'm saying. I'm just defending my brother since you decided to bad mouth him all of a sudden! But that's not why I came here. You gave me your word that you'd come over and help me with Mum tonight!"

"It's not a dire situation. It could wait another day or two. Something else came up and I couldn't make it." Arthur made to push past his son, but George shoved him back, causing him to lose his balance and fall back on the sofa.

"Old Ogden's is what came up. That shouldn't take precedence over your family! I'm not letting you go back on what you said. So here," George summoned a vial of Sober Up potion," you're gonna take this, clean up, and come with me."

"George, you can't -" Arthur began to protest.

" _Take it_ or I'm telling Percy what has taken place here tonight," George threatened.

In another fifteen minutes or so, the two were ready to go. However, even after the shower, George had to use a charm to conceal the stench of firewhisky.

"Son, I'm sorry -" Arthur began.

"No, Dad, don't. I don't want to hear it. The more you say it, the less it means…Let's just go."

 **oOoOo**

Meanwhile, Percy led an unsuspecting Audrey to the ornate fountain in the middle of Trafalgar Square.

So far, everything had gone according to plan. After making sure he was impeccably dressed, Percy picked up Audrey and the evening started off with a stroll around Hyde Park. Next, he took his girlfriend of nearly two years to the luxurious Italian restaurant where they had their first date. Now, the bespectacled young man would pop the question in the beautifully lit square.

Upon finding a vacant spot on the edge of the fountain, Percy gestured for Audrey to sit down. Taking a knee, he pulled out a ring box with shaking hands. It wasn't until now that he noticed how light-headed he was.

Percy had a long, sweet speech prepared, but in the moment all he could manage was, "A=Audrey, will you m-marry me?"

It turned out that he didn't need a speech at all. Through happy tears, Audrey nodded her head and answered, "Yes, of course!"

Percy's lips met Audrey's as he slipped the ring onto her finger.

 **oOoOo**

Upon George and Arthur's entrance, Molly rose quickly. "Oh. This is low, blindsiding me like this," she spat. She had not expected her son to come back with Arthur. The odd behavior and evasive answers he had been giving her that evening caused her to think he wanted her to meet a girl. "What? Have you finally realized how foolish you've been? Now I suppose you want me to forgive you and trust you again, just like that, after everything you've done."

George's hand caught his father's arm as Arthur turned to leave. "I'm sorry, George, but I don't have to put up with this."

"Dad, I need you…please," George whispered.

Letting out a deep breath, Arthur faced his wife once again. "I'm not here to talk about you, or me, or us. I'm only here for my kids."

"Oh. They're your kids now, are they? As I recall, the other night they were _my_ kids," Molly shot back.

Glaring at the short redhead, Arthur took a step forward. "I know what I said, but seeing as they've all taken sides anyway, we might as well go along with it. Bill and Percy are the only ones who have been mature about this and remained neutral."

"Fine, go ahead then. What is it about George and Ginny you'd like to discuss?"

Gesturing toward the table, George suggested, "Why don't we all take a seat first, shall we?"

As Molly and Arthur took seats on opposite sides of the table, Arthur continued, "I'll let George start it off."

Before he could pluck up the courage to make his proposition, George glanced nervously between his parents.

Placing her hand on her son's, Molly spoke softly, "What is it, George? You know you can always talk to me about anything."

"I know…Mum, I wasn't completely honest with you this morning." Molly raised an eyebrow, but let her son continue. "It's been difficult, adjusting to living by myself."

Now his mother interrupted. "I told you, you are welcome to move back home."

"I know. But I have to get back on my own two feet at some point, so I'm not moving back." George only told one of the reasons he wouldn't go back to the Burrow. The other reason would break his mother's heart, he knew. "This afternoon I talked to Dad and he doesn't see any issues with it, but it's ultimately your decision…Can Ginny move in with me?" he finished in a rush.

Exasperated, Molly turned to her husband. "Arthur, we discussed this the other night -"

"- Actually, it wasn't much of a discussion," Arthur countered. "Today, George appealed to my better judgement, and I don't see why she can't move in. I think it would be better for both of them."

Without hesitation, Molly answered, "No. George, I'm sorry, but no. She's only sixteen -"

"Oh, come on, Molly!" Arthur interjected. "She will be off to school in a couple months. She fought in the Battle of Hogwarts for Merlin's sake! I'm sure she can survive with her brother outside of the Burrow for a while."

" _No_. George, why don't you ask one of your brothers? Charlie is looking for a place since he isn't going back to Romania."

"Mum, they disowned me, Ginny, and Percy. Neither Ron nor Charlie will even speak to me, let alone live with me. Besides, I don't want them to."

"Well, what about your father?" she suggested, now grasping at straws.

"I'm always at work." Molly scoffed at her husband's blatant lie/ "It would be no different than George living by himself." The chair scratched the floor as Arthur stood. "If things hadn't gone to shite and I was still at home, you wouldn't have a problem with Ginny living with George!"

Rising from her seat, Molly now lost her temper as well. "You better believe it! It's not that I don't trust George. It's not that I don't trust Ginny. I do not trust _you_!"

"That's absurd! I won't even be here!"

"Mum, listen!" George raised his voice to gain Molly's attention before lowering it again. Luckily, he did not inherit his mother's temper, otherwise this kitchen would be a Weasley warzone. "I didn't want to say anything, but Ginny hates it at the Burrow. Every day she tells me how unhappy she is."

There…the bomb dropped. The ugly truth was out. Molly's heart broken - shattered even more than it already was…But she didn't show it. She did everything to hold herself together.

"Okay," Molly spoke, subdued. "Well, where will Harry be staying?"

"He can stay her too," George replied.

""You only have one extra room here, George…"

"They've been sharing the same bedroom the past couple months. If anything was going to happen, it would have happened by now."

"Okay. They can move in with you," Molly conceded, " _but_ only for three weeks. Then she's back at home."

"Thanks, Mum."

"I must get going," Arthur announced. "I'm glad I could help, George."

"Yeah. Thanks, Dad. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

After the two men went into the living room, Molly overheard their hushed conversation.

"Why don't you wait for me to bring Ginny back? She'll want to see you," George's voice said.

"George, I have other business to attend to."

"Don't you care about your kids?"

"Of course I do. I did what you asked, didn't I?"

"Only because I made you sober up and dragged you here, even after you gave me your word."

"George…"

"No, Dad. We at least deserve a straight answer. Why are you shutting everyone out? First you shut out just about everyone, then Mum, and now me. I'm not asking you to promise me or give me your word, because that doesn't mean anything anymore, but please don't do that to Ginny. It would break her. Aside from Harry, you're her world."

The only other thing Molly heard was the fireplace roar to life before George reentered the kitchen.

"George, he's going to end up hurting all three of you in the long run," his mother warned.

"You think I don't already know that?" the usually calm Weasley exploded. "Percy and I were talking about that today. Unlike everyone else, we can't turn our backs on him! I mean, you're his _wife_ , you're supposed to be the last person to give up. Besides, we haven't lost him yet…"

"George, I'm giving your father some space. I haven't given up."

"You bit both of our heads off right when we walked in. How do you expect him to get sorted out and come back if that's your reaction every time you see him?"

"George…"

The young man put his hand up to stop anything else his mother was about to say and mumbled, "I'm gonna go get Ginny and Harry."

 **oOoOo**

There was a knock on Ginny's open bedroom door then George's head popped into sight. Even though it was late, it wasn't unusual for the two love birds to be wide awake.

"George!" the couple exclaimed.

"Hey. You still wanna move out?" George asked with a half smirk.

"Yeah!" his little sister answered.

"Alright then. Pack your things, both of you."

"What? How did you…" Ginny asked as she jumped up to hug her big brother.

"Ahh, it was nothing," George waved it off. "I talked to Dad about it today, and he came over tonight and helped me convince Mum. She only agreed to three weeks though, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it," he finished, winking.

"Really? Is Dad still at yours?"

"No. He – uh – He had to go…You know, Percy and all that."

It only took a few minutes to pack the couple's things since two of the three were able to use magic. They were at the first floor landing when an excited shriek came from the kitchen. Rushing to the source of the noise, the three burst through the swinging door to find Molly suffocating Percy in a bear hug, his glasses askew.

 _Special date,_ George thought. Just as George was connecting the dots, Percy extracted himself from his mother's arms and exclaimed, "I proposed to Audrey!"

"Congratulations!" his siblings and Harry shouted, hugging him in turn.

After he relayed what had happened on their date in detail, the four young adults said their good-byes to Molly, some colder than others.

"Oh, and the engagement party is next Saturday. Her parents offered to host it when I spoke to them the other day," Percy added as an afterthought.

"You can count on me to be there," his mum assured.

"Us too," Ginny answered for herself and Harry.

"And me!" George added.

On the way to the apparition point in the garden, George spoke to Percy, "Why don't you come over for a bit to celebrate? I – uh – need to talk to you about something else too."

 **A/N: There y'all go, a nice 2,300 word chapter. I hated that I couldn't get this up earlier, but I was rear-ended on the 4** **th** **and told by a doctor not to be on electronic devices or read until my concussion was gone. Then a couple days later, my grandmother passed away, so that took away another week. But I'm back now and I hope y'all will forgive me since I gave y'all a long chapter that took me a few days to complete.**

 **I'm glad y'all are still enjoying the story. I am still enjoying writing it. I've gotten part of the next chapter laid out, and the one after that is completely written and just has to be edited.**

 **Please keep reviewing and giving me your thoughts!**


	20. New Rules

**New Rules**

The next hour was spent at George's flat celebrating and drinking champagne, so it was past midnight before George had the chance to talk to Percy about their father. He had also been waiting for Ginny to go to bed before bringing the subject up, but he could tell she wouldn't leave her brothers until Percy left. Sooner or later, she would have to face the facts, and she wasn't a kid anymore so there was no sense in sheltering her any longer.

As he resumed his spot in the armchair, George said, "I'm happy for you, Perce, but we need to talk about Dad…" George glanced at his sister before continuing. "Do you let him drink at your place?"

Looking at George quizzically, Percy replied, "I don't think it was explicitly stated either way. Why?"

"You were there this afternoon when he said he'd help me out with Mum. When he didn't show up, I went to get him. He told me that something else had come up and that's why he didn't come…Percy, he was wasted, and when he left here, he said that he couldn't stay because he had other business," George finished sourly.

"I hate to tell you this, George, but that's the reality of it. For the week he's stayed with me, he's been out late every night. Like tonight, I went home to tell Dad first because he was the only person who knew I'd be proposing tonight, but he wasn't there."

"Wait, so you know he's been drinking and you just let him?"

"Since I had to practically force him to move in, he has one rule for me: Don't ask questions. When I did the first couple days, he almost left, so I let him do his thing and I do mine. I hate it, but that's the way it is," Percy stated, leaning back in his chair.

Before the conversation went any further, George turned his attention to Ginny once more. "Gin, I think you ought to go to bed now." Initially, he thought his sister could handle this topic, but as things progressed he thought better of his earlier decision.

Sitting up straighter, Ginny countered, "I'm nearly seventeen. I don't need my brothers babying me anymore."

The red-headed young men shared a look, and Percy shrugged. "Well, she's old enough to make her own choices."

"Okay…Look, it's time we confront him about this. It's gotten to the point where he's putting booze before his family and he's shutting everyone out. I don't think he even cares anymore - about his family or himself, or anything for that matter."

"The way Percy put it, if we pester him, we'll be pushing him away," Ginny pointed out, snuggling close to Harry on the couch.

"Make a new rule then," George suggested. "While he lives with you, he can't drink there, at a pub, or anywhere else. You won't be breaking his rule, so there shouldn't be an issue."

"But that means if he breaks it, Percy will have to kick him out. Give him time. Dad'll come around eventually."

"He's had time, Gin. The longer it goes, the worse it gets," Percy informed.

"We'd be giving up on him then! That would make us no better than Mum, Charlie, and Ron!" Ginny countered, beginning to get worked up.

"No, it wouldn't," George assured his little sister. "A new rule will be put in place and it is up to Dad to follow it or not."

"Whatever happens is on him, not us," Percy added. "We'll still do what we can."

After a little more discussion and agreeing on a new plan of action, the four celebrated Percy's engagement a bit more. This made it close to two in the morning when Percy left. Having become half-cut due to losing track of time and drinks, Percy thought it safer to walk the short distance home rather than apparate or floo.

The street wasn't entirely deserted. A few groups of young, partying witches and wizards along with the occasional, lone drunk littered the cobblestone pathway. Since it was closing time for Diagon Alley's few late night bars, Percy wasn't surprised. As he approached one of the bars, a middle aged man stumbled out in front of him; however, the man did not notice his son fifteen feet behind him.

Wanting to avoid a scene, the bespectacled 22 year old kept his distance and waited to make himself known until he and his father were in the privacy of his home. Arthur was completely oblivious until the door opened and shut behind him, causing him to spin around unsteadily.

"Other business," Percy scoffed. "We aren't ignorant, you know."

Immediately becoming defensive, Arthur asked, "Why are you getting in so late?"

"I could ask you the same thing," was Percy's rebuttal.

"I can come and go as I please with no questions asked," Arthur reminded.

Making his way to the kitchen, Percy replied, "Calm down. I said that I could, not that I would. Besides, I already know what you were doing."

Picking up on his third son's unusual behavior, Arthur accused, "You've been drinking."

"Yes. Great deductive reasoning. I'm truly impressed," Percy snarked.

With a snort, a smirk appeared on Arthur's face. "Now you have no room to talk when I drink."

"Actually, I still do. I rarely drink and when I do it's usually for a special occasion. George wanted to celebrate since Audrey said yes."

"What did he tell you about me?" Arthur became defensive once again.

"Nothing," Percy lied. "You would've been the first to know, but you weren't here."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"That you were not here," Percy repeated slowly. Not wanting any further conflict with his father, Percy ended the conversation. "Well, I'm exhausted. If you don't need the bathroom, I'm going for a quick shower before bed."

This lack of confrontation threw Arthur for a loop. With Molly fighting back all the time, he had gotten used to the conflict. Now with his son's calm demeanor, he was completely thrown off. Furrowing his eyebrows, Arthur stuttered, "Um…N-no. You're – I'm fine. Go ahead."

 **oOoOo**

Sunday morning Arthur woke, his head pounding and overall feeling worse than the night before. Carefully, he got up and dressed. When he entered the living room, he found two of his sons talking amongst themselves.

"Morning," Arthur quietly greeted, taking a seat in the vacant armchair. "Did Ginny and Harry get settled in alright last night, George?"

Raising an eyebrow, George responded, "If you'd stayed, you would already know."

After glaring at George for a moment, he turned his attention to Percy, "How did things go with Audrey?"

"Do you even remember last night?" Percy queried.

"Of course I do," Arthur half lied. The first part of the night, he remembered. The rest, he was completely blank on. That wasn't unusual though.

Picking up on his father's dishonesty, Percy answered with a hint of hostility, "She said yes. I wanted you to be the first to know, but you were too busy doing your best to burn bridges."

 _Great. What did I do?_ Arthur thought. His sons wouldn't be this spiteful unless he had really screwed up.

"Shouldn't you be at the shop, George?" he politely asked, attempting to ease the tension.

"I left Verity in charge for the morning because I needed to be here," George replied. He felt he needed to be there for the impending conversation and he wanted to see the ugly reality of which Percy spoke.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Arthur prepared himself for the worst "Alright, what did I do? I had to have done something for you both to be like this."

The boys quickly glanced at each other. It was time, and since it was Percy's house, he would take the reins.

Sitting straighter, Percy began, "Father…"

There was that word. The word Arthur hated hearing any of his kids call him. Had their relationship regressed that much in the past sixteen hours? Surely, he would have remembered if he had done something to cause that to happen.

"This has to stop. I've opened my home to you in hopes that everything would blow over and you would get your life back on track, but you've taken that and thrown it in my face."

"Son –"

" – No, _don't_ interrupt me," Percy put his hand up to stop his father. "You've gotten a lot worse in the week you've been here, shutting everyone out and putting alcohol before your family." Arthur looked ready to protest, but quickly sat back when both of his sons fixed him with a steely gaze.

"We don't know what's going on," George picked up. "You need to talk to a professional about this. Last night, Harry said something about a…therapist – psychiatrist – something or other. They're a type of muggle doctor. If you can't get things under control soon, you'll have to see one if you want to stay with any of us."

"So from this point forward, you can't drink at all while you live with any of us. What you do now is up to you," Percy finished.

Anger rising, Arthur accused, "You're going to abandon me like the others!" Even after how these three kids stood up for him, they were turning their backs on him?

"No, you have a choice," George pointed out.

"You can't give me an ultimatum like this! I am your father!"

"Who is acting like a child!" Percy cut him off.

George chimed in, "What we've been doing has been hurting more than helping."

"We are doing our part, but this won't work if you don't put in some effort."

"There is nothing that needs effort." Arthur stood, causing his sons to do the same. "I don't have the energy to put in any more effort. That is, if effort was needed for anything, but it's not."

"None of us are turning a blind eye anymore, Dad, not even Ginny."

"Why are you so stubborn? Huh? You are just as aware that this family is falling apart as the rest of us, and you can't deny that it's your fault!" George burst out.

"That's it! I don't have to stand here and take this!" Arthur strode across the room, but stopped short of the door when Percy spoke.

"You take another sip of alcohol and you're not living with either of us! And we can tell when you've been drinking, so don't even try to hide it!"

"I'm not! I'm – I'm – Aargh!" Arthur's fist collided with the wall as he lashed out in frustration. "I'm going to work!" he shouted, slamming the door behind him.

Arthur did indeed go to work. There were few people at the Ministry that day due to it being a Sunday, so he had the time alone that he needed. The peace and quiet and work helped to ease his anger and frustration. It also gave Arthur time to think. A few hours at work and he had decided that he would rent the flat he had been looking at the previous week. Since most of the kids had graduated Hogwarts and moved out, there was a little more money available, so there would be no difference in expense than five years ago when Percy, the twins, Ron, and Ginny had all still been at school. It wasn't a pricey apartment either, like Percy's or George's. On the contrary, it was dirt cheap because of the neighborhood which meant he would still have money to do as he pleased.

With his own place, Arthur could do anything he liked. No one would be watching. No one would know. It would be like it was several weeks ago when he would be in his shed. Now, though, the only responsibility he would have was to work and continue to provide for himself and his family.

Luckily, the apartment building he would soon be living in was still taking applications. However, the landlord told him it would be another week before he could move in. His new place of living was conveniently located halfway between the Ministry and Diagon Alley. While he was out, Arthur stopped by the store and picked up a flask, seeing as the next week he would not be able to go out late. He would place a extension charm on it in order to hold an entire bottle rather than just eight ounces.

That evening when Arthur went back to Percy's, Bill was there instead of George. Why, all of a sudden, did Percy feel the need to bring all of his siblings into this? Surely, they all had better things to do.

Without giving his sons a second glance, Arthur headed straight for the spare bedroom. Unfortunately, his entrance did not go unnoticed. Of course, he had not been drinking, so there was no need to worry about that, but he would rather be left alone.

"Dad," Bill spoke from the kitchen.

A heavy sigh escaped as Arthur halted and faced his son, but did not look directly at him.

Upon realizing his father was sober, Bill visibly became less tense. "You need to listen to us. Mum is extremely torn up about this. She doesn't know life without you just as you don't know life without her. You don't want to do this to her, do you?"

" _She_ left _me_ ," Arthur bit off. "This is a conversation you need to be having with her."

Crossing over to his father, Bill corrected, "That happened because of _your_ actions. If you sort yourself out, she will gladly take you back. None of us want this, the way it's going."

Calming himself, Arthur closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Sensing Arthur's increasing temper, Bill took a step back and Percy came to stand next to his brother. Their father had never been an angry or violent man, especially when he was sober, but in the past weeks – or perhaps months – he was a force to be reckoned with.

"I've found a place to live," Arthur looked at Percy now as he spoke. "However, I won't be able to move in until after next weekend. Then, no one will have to bother with me."

Percy stared at his father, struck dumb. Neither he nor George thought Arthur would choose to leave. Both of them, along with Ginny, wanted to avoid the outcome of their dad leaving or being kicked out. If they approached the situation correctly then things would get back to normal, or so they thought.

"Dad, you don't have to do that. You are more than welcome to continue staying here," Percy reassured.

"No, I'm not – Not with what you said this morning. You gave me a choice, and I made it. I'm not having people in my business and constantly watching my every move." When there was no response or rebuttal from either of his sons, Arthur said, "Now, if we're done here…" before continuing his path to the bedroom. He was stopped again though as the younger of the two boys spoke up again.

"Well, I still would like you to come to my engagement party Saturday night. Won't you come?"

Without facing his sons, Arthur gave a noncommittal shrug and left them on their own.

 **A/N: Thank you for understanding about the previous chapter being delayed.**

 **I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. The next one is already mostly written; however, it has not been proof read or edited.**

 **Please continue reading and reviewing! Next will be the engagement party! Let's see if Arthur actually goes and what will happen between the rest of the Weasleys.**


	21. The Engagement Party

**A/N: Hey, y'all. Here's Chapter 21. I did another reread of the story in order to reconnect with it. I decided to add a few of Arthur's brothers in this one. The ending gave me a little difficulty, but I hope y'all enjoy and give me your feedback.**

 **Edit: I had to go back and fix a couple things after having read it again once I had posted it. I'm not sure if it's just me, but some words got cut out after it posted even though it had not changed in the original document.**

 **The Engagement Party**

The first two days, Arthur abided by his sons' rule of not going out to drink, but when Percy wasn't at home, he had his flask and when Percy was at home, he would retreat to the guest room. Come Tuesday, Arthur abandoned this tactic and began going back to the bar which he had frequented, not caring if his son kicked him out or not. His office would suffice until he was able to move into his new place. However, there was no retribution for his actions. The late nights were obvious, but Percy had not been a big fan of the new rule in the first place and he did not want to deepen the rift between him and his father, especially before his engagement party.

Thursday morning an owl came informing Arthur that he would be able to move into the flat that night if he wished. Taking the opportunity to move in early – or rather, move _out_ early – he told Percy and left that evening. There were no angry words or sudden outbursts from either man, but Percy had to admit he was disappointed. It had been nice having his father live with him no matter how stressful.

When Saturday rolled around, Percy had yet to receive confirmation from his father if he would be attending the party. Since Arthur moved out, he hadn't heard from him at all, and neither had his siblings. It was a pleasant surprise when Percy opened the door at Audrey's parent's house to find his dad standing on the other side.

"Dad!" the young man exclaimed, pulling Arthur into a hug. "I wasn't sure if you were coming."

"I wouldn't miss this," Arthur replied as he stepped over the threshold.

"Daddy!" Ginny bounded up to her father, pecking him on the cheek. George was right behind her to greet his dad as well. The two siblings and Harry had been the first to arrive and were the only guests so far. The party still wasn't due to begin for another ten minutes though, so that was understandable.

"I hope you're not angry with me, Dad," George voiced quietly.

"Don't know why I would be, Son," Arthur answered, even though he knew exactly why George would think that.

When the four entered the living room, Arthur shook Harry's hand, greeted Audrey, and was formally introduced to her parents. They hadn't been talking five minutes when there was another knock at the door and the newly engaged couple disappeared to answer it. When they came back, they had Molly, Hermione, Bill, and Fleur in tow.

No matter how hard she tried, Hermione couldn't convince Ron to come. Molly also was unable to do so with her youngest and second oldest sons.

The group in the living room stood to greet them; although, Ginny and George's wasn't as warm to their mother as the others, and the exchange between Molly and Arthur was brief and stiff.

Shortly after the new arrivals appeared, Arthur excused himself to the restroom. Once in the privacy of the dimly lit room, he took a few gulps from his flask. The arrival of his wife caught him off guard. It had been a week since he had seen her and even longer since they had actually talked. Then with everything that had occurred, he did not think it likely that Percy would invite her.

After having composed himself, he blew out a deep breath and opened the door to discover Percy leaning on the wall waiting for him.

Percy stood up straight and stopped his father from walking past him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but if you knew, you wouldn't have come. I wasn't going to not invite my own mother. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't drink tonight. One glass of champagne and that's it. There doesn't need to be an unnecessary scene." Percy held out his hand. "Give me the flask." While Arthur was still living with him, Percy had picked up on the fact that his father had taken to carrying around a flask.

Arthur looked at him incredulously. "I'm not going to cause a scene."

Glaring at his father, Percy stated, "I know how you get when you're intoxicated. You act abominably. This is my engagement party and you have just met these people, so all I ask is that you drink only one glass of champagne and no other alcohol."

"Fine," Arthur huffed as he handed over the silver container. "But I'd really rather not be sober with present company," he added under his breath.

"You'll just have to deal with it in a civil manner."

No one suspected a thing when father and son rejoined the group. Other guests had started to arrive, and everyone was preoccupied with their own conversations.

Within thirty minutes, the house had exploded with people. Just as her immediate family, Audrey's extended family wasn't very large. It was mostly Weasleys that filled the house. Three of Arthur's five remaining brothers had come, along with their wives. About half of the Weasley cousins had brought their girlfriends, fiancés, and wives along.

"Ian and Desmond hate they couldn't make it, but they had prior engagements," Arthur's older brother Trenton was saying to Arthur and George when Muriel approached.

"Arthur," she greeted, not bothering to hide her hostility for the man.

"Muriel," Arthur nodded curtly.

"Where is your soon-to-be ex-wife?" the old woman goaded. Other than Percy, Arthur was the first person she had seen that she recognized upon her arrival. Knowing her, Arthur knew Muriel was mainly asking him in order to make a few snide remarks.

Not being able to help himself, Arthur scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Don't know where you heard that from, but you have been misinformed."

"Really now? Because I hear you're separated and if you don't get yourself straight she is going to divorce you."

"My _wife_ is just over there," he answered, not falling into Muriel's trap to start an argument.

Without any further remarks, the old bat shuffled off in the direction Arthur pointed.

Trenton looked confused and hurt this exchange. "Arthur, why didn't you tell me?" Out of the seven brothers, Trenton, Arthur, and Billius had always been closest. The oldest of Arthur's brothers, Alexander, always preferred keeping to himself, much like Percy. Due to the four year age gap between Arthur and Neil, the three youngest ones – Neil, Ian, and Desmond – had a tendency to stick together.

"Molly and I have hit a snag, but we're fine," Arthur snapped. Immediately regretting the tone he had used, Arthur apologized. "I'm sorry, Trenton. I know. We've always told each other everything."

"It's alright. You know, Neil had a difficult time with his divorce a few years back. Maybe you ought to talk to him about this," Trenton suggested.

Putting a hand up, Arthur responded, "No. I don't want anyone to know, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything. Now, can we change the subject please?"

"Sure," Trenton agreed. "But, I'm here if you ever need anything."

"Thanks."

For those who knew Arthur, it did not slip their notice that he was not himself. Of course, his kids and Molly were not surprised by this. Since the war's end, this had become his new normal. Whereas most people didn't mention this obvious change, a few asked if he was alright or why he was so reserved. The answer anyone who asked received was "I'm fine."

About halfway through the party, Arthur had to step out for some air. Attempting to act cheerful and socialize had worn him out. The night air was cool on his face, and the solitude of the backyard was a relief; however, he was not alone for long. He glanced behind him when he heard the door open and turned completely to face the person who had just exited the house.

"Dad, is everything alright?" his daughter asked.

Arthur nodded briefly and gave Ginny a tight, forced smile. "Did you need something, sweetie?"

"It can wait. Just find me when you come back in." With that, Ginny left her father alone once again.

It had only been what felt like minutes before the glass door slid open behind him again.

"I'll be there in a minute, Ginny," Arthur spoke sharply, not bothering to turn around this time.

"You aren't so far gone that you get withdrawals if you don't drink," Molly stated abruptly.

"No, I'm not. I've been like this for months, if you cared to notice," he shot. Even though he had always loved being around people, lately Arthur preferred being by himself. There had been other periods in his life where he felt this way. Sometimes there was no apparent reason what brought these episodes on but other times there was, such as after Billius died, or after they lost Gracie, or after the snake attack. Each time, it would last longer or shorter than the others. There had never been a pattern. This particular instance began when the family had to go into hiding at Muriel's in April and worsened after Fred was killed. All the other times he was able to hide it or disguise it, but this time was different because he had no energy or drive to do so.

"Why?" Molly asked. Even though the last part of her husband's answer offended her, she kept calm, not wanting to cause a scene.

"I don't know," Arthur answered quietly, still not facing his wife.

Attempting some light conversation, Molly asked, "Well, how have you been?"

Shrugging, Arthur slumped a little and sighed heavily.

"That can't always be your answer."

"It can when it's the truth."

Neither husband nor wife spoke for several minutes, each wondering what the other was thinking, until Arthur finally broke the silence.

"Why are you out here?" Arthur asked weakly.

"It's been weeks and I haven't heard from you." She moved closer to her husband. "I want to try and work things out." Of course, what her husband had done was inexcusable, but Molly knew he wouldn't have done or said those things if he was in his right mind. Her conversations with Conner had given Molly some insight into what Arthur was going through and the weeks apart had given each person time to think and work through their feelings toward one another, Molly more so than Arthur.

Spinning around, Arthur spoke loudly, "And you think I haven't wanted that? I have tried talking to you, but you won't listen .Like just now, I'm sober and being _completely_ honest with you, and you still say that isn't a valid answer. Go ahead, ask me anything and you'll get an honest-to-God answer."

The following questions and answers occurred in quick succession.

"Why aren't you inside?" Molly asked. "You've always loved a house full of people to talk to."

"I just need a minute."

"You've never needed a minute before," she pointed out.

"Yes, I have," Arthur corrected.

"No -"

"I know me better than you do, Molly," her husband interrupted firmly, pointing to himself then her.

"Okay. Why didn't you cast a patronus a few weeks ago?" Molly asked, referring to the night Ginny ran away. It had been bothering her ever since because she had gotten the impression that it wasn't out of spite that he hadn't cast it.

Not expecting that to be one of her questions, Arthur faltered. "I-I couldn't." He glanced away from his wife and scratched the back of his neck before continuing softly, "I haven't been able to for quite some time now."

"Why not?" she asked gently.

"I'm not sure. I've tried, but I can't," he answered, looking back at his wife.

Next came the big question. However, she didn't expect to get a straight answer. "Why have you been drinking so much?" she deadpanned.

But Arthur answered without hesitation. "Because it helps."

"Helps with what?" she inquired.

"How I feel."

Perhaps, he really did want to work things out. His answer to the follow-up question would confirm or disprove that theory.

"How do you feel?"

"I don't know," Arthur answered honestly.

Being able to know her husband was telling the truth, Molly prompted, "Maybe if you tried explaining it..."

"It's hard to put into words." But he could put it into words though, or at least partially. However, he couldn't find the courage to. Having Septimus as his father, it had been drilled into him from an early age that men weren't supposed to share their feelings. This always caused difficulty when he needed to become vulnerable, even if it was just with his wife. That is also why no one, including Molly, had caught on to any of his previous episodes that were similar to this. The difference now was that it was the worst one and he had stopped caring.

"I can't help and we can't work anything out if you don't describe how you're feeling," Molly stated calmly.

"Look, I've answered your questions best I can. Now it's up to you." Having said his piece, Arthur went back into the house to find his daughter, leaving Molly to contemplate what had just been said.

The house was still full of people and the party was still going strong even though it was supposed to end in thirty minutes. Arthur saw Percy and Audrey speaking to Alexander and his wife, Harry and some of the Weasley cousins in what resembled a press conference, George displaying some of his products to Audrey's cousins, Trenton and Neil discussing something quietly by themselves (He hoped it wasn't about him), and Muriel fussing about something to Bill and Fleur (He knew it probably was about him). Finally, he found Ginny with Hermione in a corner.

"What did you need, princess?" he asked as he approached the girls.

Looking up at her dad, Ginny replied, "Oh, Harry wanted to talk to you. He wouldn't tell me what about. I think he's talking to Uncle Trent and Uncle Ian's sons and their wives and girlfriends. The sooner you rescue him, the more thankful he'll be."

As Arthur made his way to Harry, he had to pass Trenton and Neil. Maybe he could catch part of their conversation. Instead of overhearing them, they stopped him.

"Arthur," Neil called, "is everything okay?"

Before answering with a question, Arthur shot Trenton a suspicious glance, "Why wouldn't it be?"

"You disappeared for a half hour." Neil replied, puzzled at his usually calm brother's abruptness.

"Oh." Arthur became less defensive. "I had to get some air."

Somewhat satisfied with this answer, Neil became distracted as one of Alexanders' sons pulled him off to show him pictures of his kids. This gave Arthur the opportunity to speak to Trenton privately.

Putting his hand on his brother's shoulder, Arthur led the way to a less populated corner of the kitchen. "Did you tell him?" he asked anxiously.

"What? No," Trenton answered indignantly. "I gave you my word I wouldn't say anything to anyone. Neil asked me if I knew why you have been acting strangely tonight, and I told him I wasn't sure." Trenton didn't feel all that bad about lying to Neil; it didn't really feel as though he were lying at all. He knew Arthur was telling the truth about him and Molly, but there was a bigger issue that even he couldn't put his finger on. And the way Arthur's family didn't seem bothered by this behavior hinted that this wasn't new. "Neil isn't the only one who has noticed. My kids and some of the nephews have asked."

"Great," Arthur said bitterly.

Changing the subject, Trenton asked, "Do you wanna grab a pint after this? It's been a while since we've gotten together."

Taking a deep breath, the younger brother pondered this invitation then answered, "Maybe some other time. I'm already exhausted…If you'll excuse me, I need to find Harry."

While he weaved his way through the crowd, Arthur noticed Molly had come back inside and was talking to Audrey's mum. When he found Harry again, it was no surprise he was still trapped, answering an array of questions from the Weasley cousins. In fact, it looked like more had found their way to The-Boy-Who-Lived.

"Harry!" Arthur called as he patted the young man on the shoulder.

"Mr. Weasley!" the raven-haired boy said with a sigh of relief.

"Ginny said you wanted to speak with me?" the older gentleman asked as he led the dark-haired boy away from the large group.

"Yes, sir," Harry confirmed. "I was wondering if the two of us could get dinner sometime this week, or next. Whichever works best for you."

Scratching his chin, Arthur replied uncertainly, "I don't know about that, Harry. I've been busy at the Ministry and -"

"- Please, Mr. Weasley," Harry interrupted, "It's really important."

"What about George's shop? I hear it has been chaotic and he doesn't close until eight or nine o'clock at night."

"I've already spoken with him," He had indeed spoken with George and received permission for two nights off; one for Arthur and the other for Molly. Even though Harry didn't tell George why, George thought he knew. "He said to figure out a day and let him know."

Not sure what this was all about, Arthur furrowed his eyebrows but agreed to Wednesday night at six o'clock.

A loud squawk came from across the room just then. Everyone's attention was drawn to a large canary sitting in a wooden chair. The house burst into laughter at the sight of the yellow bird that was now molting. Even a genuine smirk was provoked from Arthur.

"George Fabian Weasley!" Molly shrieked. "Is that your Great Aunt Muriel?"

However George was too busy trying not to hyperventilate from laughing so hard. For most of the family, it was pleasant seeing George this happy, but his mother was not amused. She grabbed her son by the arm and dragged him outside, her other three kids and husband on their tail.

As soon as George's laughing fit subsided, Molly began her rant. "George, that was completely uncalled for! She has done nothing to you! I want you to go in there right now, put her back to normal, and apologize!"

"Hold on! She'll be fine by the time we get back in there. The old bitch has been bad mouthing Dad all night and criticizing everyone else, even after you told her to stop. I'm not apologizing for anything," George argued.

"I don't care! That was –"

"Molly, it was a harmless prank," Arthur interrupted calmly.

"Don't you go approving of his unruly behavior, Arthur -"

"You need to make up your mind, Mother," George cut in. "I thought you wanted me to get back to normal. If Fred was here, he would have snuck her a Canary Cream an hour ago."

"And he would be in just as much trouble" Molly chided. "We just met Audrey's family –"

"They all found it hilarious," Percy interrupted this time.

"It really wasn't as bad as you're making it out, Mum." Bill added.

"Molly, you need to take a minute to settle down," Arthur told her as she started to admonish her son again.

"Seriously, chill," Ginny interjected.

This did not help her mother to "chill" however. Now Molly rounded on her daughter. "That's it! You're coming back home _tonight_."

"What! No!" Ginny protested. "You said three weeks, and it's only been one!"

"Yeah! You can't do that!" George joined.

"I can do whatever I damn well please."

"Dad!" Brother and sister looked to their father for assistance.

Before saying anything, Arthur had to close his eyes and take a couple deep breaths in order to rein in his rising temper. There was a house full of people who he did and did not know. Either way, he did not want to cause any more of a scene than what had been caused already. When he knew he had control of his anger, he faced his wife. "You did say three weeks," he stated evenly.

"I didn't expect something like this to happen though. How am I supposed to know Ginny is being well taken care of if things such as this are happening?"

"This was a prank. He owns a joke shop. George has been a jokester his whole life. What did you expect?" Arthur's voice rose somewhat.

"He has a point, Mum," Bill acknowledged as Percy nodded his agreement.

Thinking it would be better for all of them, Arthur sent the kids inside while he waited with Molly as she cooled down.

Upon reentering the house, cheers and whistles came from the guests. George braced himself for what was to come as an irate and humiliated Muriel marched up to him.

While his wife paced up and down the patio continuing her rant, Arthur took a seat in one of the patio chairs and rested his head in his hands. This whole ordeal had made him more exhausted than he already was, and Molly wasn't helping, making it a bigger deal than it was. He only heard parts of what the infuriated woman was saying.

"George should know better…This was completely unacceptable...I can't believe…And then you…" were a few things he heard until he stood up suddenly and stopped her.

"Whoa oh oh! Don't even try blaming me for anything! All I was doing was being reasonable!" Arthur defended himself a little louder than he should have. Thankfully, the house was still noisy.

Molly pointed her finger at Arthur. "We are supposed to be a united front when it comes to parenting our kids, Arthur!"

Aware that this was becoming an argument between the two of them, Arthur cast a muffliato charm before continuing. "Not anymore! You shouldn't even have a say when it comes to George and Ginny!" Arthur lost whatever control he had on his temper. "They made their decision! They chose their parent, and it was not you!"

"They shouldn't have had to choose in the first place!" Molly broke in.

"After tonight, I'm afraid they won't have anything to do with you! The words Mother or Father have never left George's mouth before!" Taking a few deep breaths, Arthur then added a little more calmly, "Ginny is not going back to the Burrow if she doesn't want to, now or in two weeks." Not giving his wife a chance to protest, he left her alone on the patio.

The first person Arthur wanted to find when he got back into the house was Percy. However, even though the party was supposed to be ending right now, no one had begun to leave. It seemed that the kids had all bounced back from their mother's tirade, because they had all scattered and were acting as if nothing had happened.

Seeing his brother red-faced and breathing heavily, Trenton stopped him on his way to Percy. "Arthur," he said sternly as he grabbed his arm.

"Don't," Arthur bit out through clenched teeth, not bothering to stop.

Finding his son, Arthur pulled a puzzled Percy to the side. "Percy, give me my flask," he ordered.

"No," Percy refused. "When everyone leaves, you can have it."

Having seen Arthur, Bill and George walked up to their brother and father. "What's going on?" Bill asked.

"He wants his flask," Percy answered, frowning.

"When did you start carrying a flask?" George asked.

"Since we talked to him Sunday," Percy replied.

"Did you talk to her?" George asked, even though it was obvious there had been some sort of exchange between his parents.

"Ginny can stay with you as long as she likes. If you have any more issues, come to me."

When the group noticed people near them were paying attention to their conversation, the four took it out front, seeing as Molly was still on the patio. After the rest of the conversation, Arthur asked Percy for his flask once more. Of course, Percy did not budge from his earlier answer.

"Come on, Percy. People should've started leaving by now. I did as you asked…Please?" Arthur pressed.

"Dad, you've gotten used to drinking whenever you get angry. Take a few more minutes to cool down," Bill replied.

Having no choice, Arthur paced in front of the house for several minutes before going back inside to find his brother. The small house had become more open since guests had started filtering out. He noticed Molly had come back in, but he paid her no attention as he passed. The three brothers who had come were in a group on the far side of the room.

"Do you still want to go the bar tonight, Trent?" Arthur asked without preamble.

"You know me, I'm always down," Trenton agreed, a broad smile spreading across his face. "Not much has changed in twenty years."

Another twenty minutes passed and only immediate family, Trenton, and Neil were left, everyone helped clean and straighten up. Percy discretely returned the flask to his father. The three older Weasleys said their good-byes.

As he waked out behind his two brothers, Arthur did not notice Molly had followed them.

"Arthur?" Molly spoke up once they reached the porch.

Stopping in his tracks, Arthur breathed heavily as he turned around.

"I was wondering if we might talk for a moment," Molly said timidly.

Not removing his piercing gaze from his wife, Arthur told Trenton and Neil that he would meet them there.

"I told George that Ginny can stay as long as she wants. I won't be happy if you try undermining me," Arthur said.

"That's not what I wanted to discuss."

"Well make it quick. Trent and Neil are waiting for me." Arthur took out his flask and took a swig before putting it back in his pocket.

"Have you been drunk this entire time?" Molly asked, appalled.

"No," Arthur answered honestly. "Percy confiscated it from me upon my arrival," he finished sorely.

"Oh. Well I was thinking about our conversation earlier. Something has to change before we work on things. You need to sort yourself out first." Closing the gap between her and her husband, Molly placed a hand on his chest as Arthur eyed her cautiously. "I do love you, Arthur. That's why I'm doing this. It is in everyone's best interest. No one likes it when you drink and you need to put a stop to it while you still can...You don't need to end up like Bilius, drinking yourself to death."

Even though he didn't understand how it was in everyone's best interest, Arthur nodded his head. He felt more alone now than he ever had

"I know it will take time, but come back to me." She stood on her toes to kiss her husband, but he backed away, this rejection causing her to feel worse than she had during any of their fights. This separation made Arthur more cold and distant than he had ever been.

Without a word, Arthur turned on the spot and disparrated.

 **A/N: Let me know what y'all thought. I love reading reviews. Next will have more of Arthur's brothers and then some Molly and Conner.**


	22. A Drunken Mistake

**Warning: Sexual Content (midway through chapter and not too bad)**

 **A/N: Alright, y'all, I'm back! I know it's been over a month. To be honest, I wrote this out, but there was so much rewriting I could not force myself to go back and edit it for a while. Then I got a bit lazy and didn't write and after that, I had to cram and write two papers for midterms. I did have to take a little break from this too because I absolutely** _ **adore**_ **Arthur and Molly and what I've done in this chapter hurts me more than you know.**

 **Also, please check out my new stories I've posted! A one-shot written for "The Underappreciated Song Challenge" inspired by "My Kind of Love" by Emeli Sande. The other is titled "A Not So Perfect Love Story" written for "The 100 Quotes of Life Challenge" that is an in-progress work of drabbles focusing on Molly and Arthur's relationship over the years.**

 **Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. Enjoy Chapter 22!**

 **A Drunken Mistake**

Arthur didn't have to be told which bar he and his brothers were going to. From the moment he graduated Hogwarts until he was twenty-six years old, Arthur would go out on the weekend with Trenton and Bilius to the same bar, The Paramount. At first, he only went once a month, but over the years, it gradually became more frequent until it was every weekend. It wasn't until Percy was born that he stopped going out with his older brothers. He and Molly needed the extra money and she needed help with the kids at night. Another reason he stopped was because Molly was becoming concerned with how much he was drinking. She saw how Arthur's brothers were and saw the path they were headed down and didn't want her husband going the same way. Of course, Molly was right; Bilius never settled down and practically drank himself to death in 1989, and Trenton, even though he married and had four sons, continued going to the bar with Bilius every weekend. Since Neil's divorce seven years ago, Trenton had recruited his younger brother.

As he entered The Paramount, Arthur noticed it hadn't changed much. There was a live band and a moderately-sized dance floor. The bar ran the length of the wall opposite the stage, and tables and booths were spread on the outskirts of the dance floor. It had never been like a typical bar. The proprietors wanted to appeal to a younger crowd without turning into a nightclub and losing their older clientele.

Even though he spotted his brothers right away, Arthur made his way to the single-occupant restroom first. Before starting the night, he needed to clear his head. He leaned over the small sink and splashed some cool water on his face in an attempt to reenergize himself. As he dried his face with a rough, brown paper towel, Arthur couldn't help but think about what his wife had said before he disapparated. _You need to sort yourself out first,_ echoed through his head. How could he sort himself out if he didn't know what was wrong? And she couldn't possibly think he could do it on his own if he ever _did_ figure out what the problem was. Right now, it looked like he would have to wait for it to blow over like it did all the other times…Little did he know that it wouldn't just blow over this time. Pulling out his wand, Arthur cast a weak Cheering Charm on himself before meeting his brothers at the bar. He knew what could happen if it was used too much, so the only times he ever used a Cheering Charm was when he couldn't keep up a façade when he needed to.

"It's about time!" Trenton exclaimed as Arthur approached. "We were about to get started without you."

"Oh no," Arthur muttered as he took his place between Trenton and Neil. Three glasses containing several ounces of green liquid sat in front of them on the counter. It had to have been twenty years since Arthur drank absinthe.

"Ohh, yes," Trenton replied with an evil grin. "Cheers, boys!" he exclaimed, clinking his glass on the other two.

"So, Arthur, what's going on with you and Molly?" Neil asked after his first sip. "I'm not stupid. The two of you hardly even looked at each other tonight."

"I'd rather not talk about it," Arthur replied. Why did it seem like his brothers always wanted to be in his business?

Not giving up, Neil guessed, "You two got a divorce recently." As an answer, Arthur showed the forty-four year old the wedding band still on his left hand. "Separated then," he stated next. The way Arthur tensed was answer enough. "Sorry to hear that, mate," he genuinely apologized, patting Arthur on the shoulder. "Can we get three shots of vodka over here?" Neil called to the bartender even though all three of them were still working on their first drink.

Over the next twenty minutes _,_ The Paramount quickly became more lively and crowded. Arthur didn't think anything about it when Trenton disappeared to the bathroom, but then he came back with three beautiful thirty-something year olds.

"I'd like you girls to meet my brothers, Arthur and Neil," Trenton said, gesturing to his younger brothers in turn. "Boys, this is Cindy, Alexa, and Stacy" His whole life, Trenton had been a flirt, but since his wife was killed two years ago, he had become an absolute player.

All three of the women were attractive. They were all about the same size and similar appearance, but they were clearly not sisters. Stacy had mid-length, wavy brown hair. Alexa's hair was a bit longer and as dark as obsidian. Cindy had long, straight blonde hair.

"Hey, handsome," the blonde woman approached Arthur, running her hand down the buttons on his shirt. He couldn't help but notice she was the most gorgeous of the three. Her short, tight red dress hugged all the right places. The fact that the best looking woman chose him over Trenton shocked him, considering Trenton's more muscular form and short beard tended to attract more attention from the ladies. Of course, Arthur didn't look too bad himself; the war had kept him in great shape, and the scars he had accumulated didn't hurt either. Then there was Neil who had nowhere near the muscular build his older brothers had, but was slender and toned which exaggerated the muscles he did have.

Catching his mind wandering, Arthur backed away from the beautiful blonde woman as the band started playing a new song.

"Ooh! I absolutely _love_ this song!" Cindy exclaimed, bouncing up and down.

"Let's dance!" Stacy, the brunette suggested, grabbing Trenton's hand.

"I-I'm married," Arthur stuttered. The alcohol hadn't hit him yet, so he was still of sound mind.

"It's just a dance," Cindy assured.

"Yeah, and I hate to tell you, but most of the time separated couples end up divorced," Neil confessed as he allowed the dark-haired woman to drag him to the dancefloor.

Arthur didn't want to get a divorce and he didn't want to cheat on Molly, but they were right. It was just an innocent dance. Grabbing his beer, he followed Cindy to where his brothers and her friends were already dancing. Then he remembered something important…He hadn't danced to upbeat music like this in decades. However, all he had to do was stand there and move with the beat while Cindy danced around him. Every once in a while, Arthur would glance over at one of his brothers to try and pick up a couple moves and in no time, he was twenty-three again. Whether it was the atmosphere or the alcohol, Arthur wasn't sure, but by the third song, he lost any feelings of guilt he had had and was focused on the slim, young woman in front of him. Good thing too, because he had to catch her with his free arm as she fell backward into him.

"Perhaps, you've had a bit too much to drink," he grinned, lifting her upright.

Gently running her fingers across his jaw, Cindy said," I meant to do that," before winking and sashaying back to the bar.

Mesmerized by this exquisite creature, Arthur followed. It was almost as if she was part Veela.

At a loss for words, Arthur stammered, "That was – You are – Let me buy you a drink. Anything you want," he offered.

She took him up on the offer and the two talked. It wasn't much longer before Trenton, Stacy, Neil, and Alexa joined them and ordered more drinks.

Stacy invited Cindy and Arthur to join the four of them outside to cool off. After they all had received their orders, Trenton snorted at Arthur's firewhisky. Arthur didn't see what the issue was. He wasn't the only one who had stepped up from the disgusting, cheap beer. Arthur raised an eyebrow at his brother's reaction.

"You know what that does to you. Can't remember a thing the next day," Trenton replied in answer. Arthur shrugged before following Neil and the girls out, all with refreshed drinks in hand.

As soon as the six stepped out on the sidewalk, Trenton and Neil each pulled out a pack of cigarettes. When he was twenty, Bilius had gotten Trenton into the bad habit and Neil had always smoked socially or when he was drinking. They both offered one to Stacy and Alexa before Trenton offered one each to Arthur and Cindy. He had always refused, but there was something about tonight that caused Arthur to accept.

After everyone had accepted, Cindy complained that it was actually quite chilly, her friends following suit. As if by instinct, the brothers wrapped an arm around their respective partner's shoulders. After all, they had each been married and had gotten used to this with their ex- wives – or in Arthur's case, wife.

After they all lit up, Arthur unsuccessfully stifling a cough, Trenton pointed out the scars that peeked through the two open upper buttons on his little brother's shirt. "Say, Arthur, how'd you get those scars?"

Glancing down at the discolored marks on his chest, Arthur replied with a bit of an attitude, "I was in the Order of the Phoenix, remember?" He knew what his older brother was doing, and he did _not_ appreciate it. Around people he didn't know well, Arthur was quite self-conscious about his scars. He wasn't one to brag either.

"You're Arthur _Weasley_? _That_ Arthur Weasley?" Cindy inquired, excitedly. "I read about that in _The Daily Prophet_. You received an Order of Merlin, First Class!"

"He nearly died too," Neil put in, obviously catching on to what Trenton was doing.

"That's so brave," the blonde cooed, leaning closer to Arthur.

"Do you know Harry Potter?" Alexa, the dark-haired one, asked.

"His daughter is _dating_ Harry Potter," Trenton answered helpfully. "Harry's like another son to him."

"You don't look old enough to have a daughter that age," Cindy commented.

Before responding, Arthur took a puff from his cigarette. The smoke burned his throat and he resisted the urge to cough this time. "I'm forty-eight."

"No!" Cindy exclaimed, genuinely shocked. "I didn't think you were much older than me."

"And how old are you? If you don't mind me asking, of course," Arthur added hastily.

"Thirty-five," she answered, blowing smoke into the cool night air. "I've always tended to be attracted to older men though, so this shouldn't have surprised me."

This exchange made everyone curious of what each other's age was. Stacy, the brunette with Trenton, was thirty-six. Alexa, the dark-haired woman with Neil, was thirty-five. Neil proudly announced that he was forty-four since he was the youngest of the brothers present. Trenton, however, tried to play it off like he was forty-two, but was caught in the lie by Stacy because he had already told them he was the oldest.

After everyone finished their cigarette – or cigarettes in Trenton and Neil's case – the group went back inside to buy more drinks. Instead of getting more drinks, however, the girls talked the guys into having a contest to see who could take the most shots. Unsurprisingly, Trenton won by a long shot. Arthur came in second, and Neil wasn't too far behind in third.

Not long after the contest, the effects of the liquor began to kick in. They had all been buzzed, but now they were highly intoxicated. It didn't take any effort this time for Cindy to get Arthur onto the dance floor. Arthur couldn't help his mind wandering to what he'd like to do to this breathtaking woman as he watched her move with the music. Several songs later, the band slowed the tempo dow. As the song finished, Cindy leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Arthur's lips. When he didn't stop her, she deepened the kiss, her tongue seeking entrance into his mouth. Instead of jerking away, Arthur pulled her closer to him, running his hand down her side and resting it on her lower back. It was like he had no control of what he was doing. Part of him knew this was wrong, but another part didn't want to stop. When Cindy pulled away, he didn't bother hiding the disappointment on his face.

"Let's see where the others are," Cindy said, pulling him along by the hand.

They found the other four at a booth across the room and joined them. As soon as they sat down, Neil winked at Arthur. They all enjoyed another drink before Alexa said it was too loud to have a decent conversation.

"We can all go back to my place. Nice, big empty house with more booze," Trenton suggested.

Upon checking his watch, Arthur realized it was already two in the morning. Hours had flown by and he hadn't even noticed.

Once they had apparated to Trenton's house, he poured everyone a glass of firewhisky. Arthur and Cindy took the couch while Stacy and Alexa each sat in Trenton and Neil's laps, respectively.

They all talked, getting to know each other better, while they sipped their drinks. Then they all entered their own conversations. At some point while he was talking to her, Cindy ran her hand up Arthur's inner thigh then swung her left leg over his. Arthur felt his pants tighten a little as she did this. Her breath was warm on his ear as she nibbled it. An involuntary moan escaped Arthur. His ears had always been a weak spot. He nuzzled her neck and she tilted her head to give him better access to kiss her soft flesh.

Neither of them noticed Trenton and Stacy and Neil and Alexa slip out of the room to appease their own drunken, sexual desires.

Being the first to remove clothing, Arthur reached behind Cindy and unzipped her red dress. Sliding the smooth fabric down, he allowed his hand to pause on her breast. Not bothering with the buttons on the older man's shirt, Cindy practically ripped it open. At the time, Arthur didn't think anything about it. He could always use magic to repair it later. She slid her hands over his scarred, muscular chest.

Their breaths quickened as their lips met. While she unbuckled his belt and unzipped his trousers, Cindy stood a little to help Arthur remove her dress the rest of the way, not breaking the kiss. Without warning, Arthur picked Cindy up and laid her on the couch beneath him. Trailing kisses down her neck, he made his way to her freed breasts, eliciting a moan as he tugged on one nipple with his teeth and the other with his fingers. As he did this Cindy ran her fingers through his vibrant red hair. When he was satisfied he had done enough in that area, Arthur returned to her lips.

Both parties were eager to satisfy each other as well as themselves. Finally, Cindy released Arthur's bulge from his trousers. It was exquisite. Probably the biggest she had ever seen. She gently stroked it before allowing him to do as he wished. This stranger was the most attentive, skilled partner she had ever had.

For a split second, Arthur thought, _What, in Merlin's name, am I doing? What about Molly?_ as he thrust into this blonde-haired beauty. Then he remembered what Neil had said about separated couples almost always divorcing and how Molly wasn't willing to work things out. His foggy, drunken state of mind made him forget what was more important to him as the young woman beneath him let out a moan.

And that was it. For the rest of the night, man and woman gave into their primal instincts, only thinking of the temporary sexual pleasures and not the inevitable regrets and consequences that would come later.

 **oOoOo**

The next morning a sunbeam shone across Arthur's face, waking him up. Head still spinning, he slowly opened his eyes. The large living room and leather furniture disoriented him. Several minutes passed before he realized he was at his brother's house.

After he finally figured out where he was, Arthur focused on what had happened, how he got there, and, more importantly, why he was half naked. Another handful of minutes passed and he was still at a complete loss. Well, he would have to rely on his older brother, who he knew wouldn't be much help, to explain things.

As he sat up on the sofa, his skin unstuck from the leather. Rubbing his head, Arthur looked around for his shirt and belt. After finding his belt on the arm of the couch, he slid it through the belt loops on his trousers and, having noticed it was undone, zipped his fly. The shirt was found on the floor a few feet away. He had to use a repairing charm to fix the buttons, clueless as to how some had popped off. As he put the shirt on, a faint smell of unfamiliar perfume filled his nostrils, then he spotted ruby red lipstick on the collar. All clues pointed to a night of intercourse. But...Molly never wore that shade of lipstick, and why would they do it on his brother's couch? Whatever had happened, happened with another woman.

 _Shite_ , he thought. _Shite, shite, shite._

Then he saw it...

...a note on the coffee table that read _I had a great time_.

"Fuck!" he blurted, crumpling up the paper and throwing it across the room. Having heard his brothers talking, – Wait. Brothers? What was Neil doing here? - Arthur marched into the kitchen.

Neil and Trenton were much like he was, wearing the same clothes from the day before without having buttoned their shirts. Immediately, Neil threw a vial of red Hangover Potion to Arthur.

"Trent, what happened last night?" Arthur asked angrily after downing the potion.

"That's a good question, brother," Trenton stated, giving a small laugh. He was just as prone to blackouts as Arthur was. The difference was, Trenton didn't really care what took place as long as he had a good time.

Chuckling, Neil said, "What would you two do without me? We went to The Paramount and found a few fine birds."

"I figured as much. Tell me I didn't sleep with one of them," Arthur pressed.

"Don't worry. You resisted some of her advances..."

" _And_?"

A broad smile spread across Neil's face. "We all got laid in the end," Neil finished with a victorious grin and high five with Trenton.

"What?!" Arthur bellowed. Of course, his brothers weren't his keepers, but they knew the state his marriage was in. Ultimately, it was his own fault, but he wanted to lay the blame elsewhere. "I can't believe you didn't stop me!"

"We had our own escapades to get to. Besides, you looked like you were enjoying yourself quite a bit. The two of you didn't even make it off the couch," Neil calmly explained.

"Oh! We made it in the advert too!" Trenton broke in excitedly, ignoring his brother's anger and distress, and shoved _The Daily Prophet_ into Arthur's hands.

Right there at the bottom of page nine was an advertisement for The Paramount. A montage of pictures played out in front of him. Then one appeared showing him snogging a fit blonde woman. It was Arthur Weasley. There was no denying it. If anyone still had doubts though, they could be settled by the other two red headed me in the photograph. Most times, when more than two red heads were together, they were Weasleys.

"God dammit!" Arthur threw the newspaper onto the kitchen table. "Why would you think I'd be happy about that?" he seethed. "Do you have a clean shirt I could borrow?"

"S-sorry?" Trenton apologized while summoning another shirt. Whenever they made the adverts in their twenties, Arthur was always just as excited as he and Bilius. But, Arthur never dared to even look at another woman. Molly was always his focus. Trenton threw the shirt to his brother, "Here."

"Arthur…where are you going?" Neil asked apprehensively as Arthur changed shirts.

"I have to tell Molly," he mumbled.

"Woah! You tell her and this will definitely end your marriage. There'll be no coming back from this," Neil warned.

"You should know! That's what caused the downfall of yours!" Arthur screamed at Neil. "Yet neither of you thought about that last night! Look, I can't keep this from her," he stated more calmly as he started to leave, but he turned around and added, "If I'm not back in an hour, she's killed me."

 **oOoOo**

At the Burrow, Conner was helping Molly fix lunch. This was the first time he had been back to the Burrow since Arthur flew off the handle. Over the past couple weeks, he and Molly would meet up somewhere to talk.

The house was empty except for those two. During the week, Charlie would go to work at Hogwarts with Hagrid, but the weekends he spent looking for a house. He preferred to have a small house on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, and it had been difficult finding something he liked. As for Ron and Hermione, Molly had talked them into going on a lunch date. She had nothing to hide, but Molly would rather have complete privacy when she talked to Conner. Some subjects she did not want her kids hearing; plus, Ron and Charlie were obviously still against her giving their father yet another chance.

Ever since Arthur and the other Weasley children had moved out, the Burrow had been too quiet. It was unnatural. Even when the kids had grown and gone off to Hogwarts, Molly couldn't wait for them to come home. She never knew how to cook for just two people, so she and Arthur would be stuck with leftovers for days. Whenever she and Arthur made up, so would the kids and things would get back to normal. The sooner things returned to normal, the sooner she would be happy again.

When they had finished making the mini pork pies, Conner took a seat at the table while Molly put them in the oven. That day's issue of _The Daily Prophet_ lay on the worn wooden surface. As Molly put the kettle on, Conner found himself scanning over the headlines and pictures.

"I don't know why Charlie keeps buying those. They're still complete rubbish," Molly commented, taking a seat.

Shrugging, Conner continued looking over the paper and replied, "It is interesting though. And they've gotten better about inaccuracies."

Since he wasn't reading the stories unless the headline sounded interesting, it wasn't too long before Conner reached the advertisements. Of course, there was one for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and one for Zonko's Joke Shop competing for the middle of the page. Just as he was about to show Molly the humorous animation, something below that caught his attention. It was an advertisement for a bar that he had heard of but had never been to. The pictures cycled back through and Conner got a good look at the one that caught his eye. Even though he had only seen Molly's husband once, there was no mistaking this was Arthur Weasley kissing another woman. However, just to make sure, he glanced at one of the family pictures on the wall. Yep, that was Arthur Weasley alright.

Schooling his features, Conner turned the page. Unless Molly brought it up, he would not get involved with this aspect of their relationship. Perhaps, she already saw it. Or maybe Charlie saw it and was going to tell her later. From what Molly had told him during their conversations, Arthur had always been faithful and never given another woman a second glance. It seemed that way in the past several weeks as well. The only thing Conner could figure was that Molly had been wrong, there had been some sort of misunderstanding between the couple recently, or Arthur didn't care anymore.

Folding the paper back up, Conner set it on the table and asked, "How did last night go?" When they had gone to lunch Friday, Molly had admitted how nervous she was about seeing Arthur at the engagement party.

"It could have gone better," she answered. She summarized everything that had happened the previous night: how Arthur seemed like he wanted to work things out as well, how he didn't drink any alcohol at the party but had taken to carrying a flask, what had happened with George and Muriel and the argument that ensued, how Arthur went to a bar with his brothers afterward, and how he rejected her kiss. Mixed messages were all she received from her husband nowadays.

After Conner removed the whistling kettle from the stove, he poured both of them a cup. Starting with what seemed like the easiest first, he suggested that Molly at least let Ginny stay the remainder of the three weeks then it could be revisited, but he had agreed that she overreacted after the Canary Cream incident.

Next, Conner addressed the bar issue. Arthur didn't go alone, so that was a plus. Perhaps, he was just going to catch up with his brothers. Again, Molly didn't say anything about infidelity, so Conner didn't mention what he saw in the newspaper.

When he first heard of the situation Molly found herself in, Conner thought he could help by telling Arthur how he had screwed up his own marriage. But now, there was no way to talk to him without conflict. Even though Molly and the kids explained what Conner was doing at the Burrow the first time, Arthur would be furioud if he knew that Molly was still talking to this man. All Conner could do was help this caring, beautiful woman the best he could. From what Conner saw in the advert, Arthur forgot how great of a woman he had.

"Molly...I'm sorry. I don't know what to tell you. It sounds like Arthur really wants to work things out, but alcohol does some strange things to a man. Keep doing what you're doing, but it is ultimately up to him to beat this," Conner stated.

Molly nodded. "Ok. Thank you. I think I would end up going insane if you hadn't been giving me some advice." Silence filled the house while she fiddled with her tea cup. Looking up at Conner, she said, "You don't have to keep doing this, you know. There isn't really anything you can do."

"It's fine, Molly. I actually quite enjoy when we get together." This statement caused a slight blush to creep up Molly's cheeks.

About that time, the timer went off for the mini pork pies. Neither had realized they had been talking for nearly an hour. Time always flew by when they were together.

They had just sat down to lunch when there was a knock at the door. Wondering who that could possibly be, Molly went to the front door. It couldn't be Arthur, not with how he left the previous night. Besides, he said he wouldn't come around unless she asked him to. But when she opened the door, there stood her husband.

"Arthur," she breathed. She was glad to see him, but honestly he looked like hell. A five o'clock shadow had appeared on his face and his clothes and hair were disheveled. She didn't even think that was his shirt he was wearing.

Every day she prayed he would show up, ready to fix things. Every day went without her prayer answered. Today would be different, she thought.

"Molly...I...I need to tell you something." He paused. This was the most difficult thing he had to do in his entire life. He had been unfaithful and he had no clue how to break it to her, and that broke him. All he knew was that he didn't have a choice.

Before he could continue, Molly reached out and grabbed his hand. "Wait. Arthur, I just want you to know how happy I am that you've decided to come back. It's been awful without you here and I'm ready for things to get back to normal."

God, she had no idea what was coming. It was obvious she hadn't seen the picture. Arthur's heart broke a little when he realized this. After he told her, he knew she would want nothing more to do with him.

"Um - No. I mean, I do want that, but that's not why I'm here." He kissed the back of her hand. "Molly, I do love you, but -"

A head peaked through the swinging door to the kitchen. "Molly, who is it? The food's getting cold - Oh, I'm sorry," Conner said as he realized who it was and that he once again was interrupting an important moment.

It was too late. Arthur already saw who it was. His jealousy came back in full force. Letting go of his wife's hand, he demanded, "What is he doing here? Again. In my fucking house!" A vein quivered near his temple. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. You can trick the kids, but I'm not falling for it again! I can't believe this! After everything you said about working things out! You know what? I _don't_ love you! Not anymore. Not after this. Apparently, you don't love me either. Otherwise, he wouldn't be here! You know what, stay out of my life." He stormed off to apparate back to Trenton's, leaving a distraught Molly in his wake.

His brothers were still in the kitchen, but Arthur grabbed the bottle of vodka that was sitting out on the counter and chugged some straight.

How could she, after everything she said? Had she been cheating on him their whole marriage and he didn't know it? During the war, especially, she had many late nights that another man could be over. Why should he feel guilty about being unfaithful when it clearly didn't bother her?

The other two stood abruptly as they watched their brother. He hadn't been gone long enough to have told Molly, but something had to have happened. Neither had ever seen him this angry in their entire lives.

"Arthur, with happened?" Trenton questioned.

Taking another pull from the bottle, Arthur replied, "She was with another man again."

Finding it hard to believe, Neil asked, "Is that why you're separated?"

"I don't even know anymore…I just know that I don't regret last night."

Arthur changed back into his shirt and found his flask on the coffee table before going to the front door, his brother's following close behind.

"Where are you going?" Trenton asked worriedly.

"Nowhere."

That was the last they saw of their brother.

 **A/N: There y'all go. I hope you enjoyed it and it made sense. This was probably the most difficult time I've had with a chapter, in more ways than one. And I know it is difficult to imagine Arthur in a setting like that, but I took a risk and what's life without risks, right? And I bet this probably made everyone even angrier with Arthur, so I apologize.**

 **The next chapter is going to have a big rant in it. That part of it (which will probably be half of the chapter) is about 90% dialogue, but I can change it or shorten it if y'all want. Just let me know. Hopefully, I'll have it up within a week or two, but can't make any promises.**

 **Please leave reviews and let me know what y'all thought! Oh and let me know what y'all think about his brothers (they are OCs)!**


	23. Bill's Rant

**A/N: Wow! Last chapter got a good many reviews within 24 hours.**

 **finkles89** **: I don't know why you want to high-five Arthur, but I'm glad not** _ **everyone**_ **is totally against him.**

 **PhoenixRising** **: I really didn't realize his brothers were encouraging him until you pointed that out. Even though you don't like Arthur anymore, I hope you will still read.**

 **Remustonkslupin** **: Thank you. I didn't really think about how out of character people can be when they are drunk. Glad you are enjoying the story.**

 **DarkNoct** **: I'm sorry. Thank you for pointing out that it is becoming a bit cliché. Overall, I am not going for that but there will be parts where it can seem that way. And if the last chapter felt like The Hangover, I did not mean to. I didn't realize that until we watched it in my Theatre 101 class the other day. I do hope you will stick with it though.**

 **Alright. So, I wanted to post today because it has been TWO YEARS since I started this story! Woah! Thank you to everyone who has stuck with it. I'm glad y'all are all still enjoying it and there are many more chapters to go. And I think each chapter is getting to be longer than the last.**

 **Thank you everyone for the reviews, favorites, and follows! Please keep it up. I'm not sure if I'm happy with the Arthur and Bill part of this chapter, but it says what needs to be said and gives Bill his moment.**

 **Without further ado…**

 **Bill's Rant**

Molly stood, completely and utterly shocked, as she watched her husband disapparate. Unlike every other time he left or tried to leave, she couldn't bring herself to try and stop him. The exact opposite had happened that she had hoped would, and his words stung, worse than anything else he had ever said to her. Apparently, there was no trust left in their relationship; she had been finding it harder and harder to trust him, and clearly, Arthur didn't trust her anymore.

She leaned on the door after gently shutting it. A flood of emotions washed over her. Molly wasn't sure how she should feel: disappointed because they hadn't made up like she hoped, angry because Arthur immediately assumed the worst again, sad and upset because he told her he didn't love her anymore, or happy and relieved because the monster who used to be her husband was gone.

Unable to stand any longer, she slid down to the floor, tears overcoming her. Everything since the end of the war had her emotionally drained. Her son was dead. Two of her kids didn't want anything to do with her. And her husband, the man she loved, had turned her life into this living hell.

The next thing she realized, she was crying into a man's shoulder. In that moment, she didn't know who it could be. Could Charlie or Ron have gotten back already? Could Bill have stopped by to visit? Did Arthur rethink what he had said and come back? Her mind skipped right over the Irishman she had left in the kitchen.

Finally, she had let all her emotions out. Pulling back from whoever was holding her, she wiped at her tear-stained cheeks while the man smoothed her hair. When she saw who the mystery person was, she began apologizing profusely. Of course, she had been telling Conner all of her feelings over the past couple weeks, but there had only been one other time she completely broke down. Conner told her there was no reason for her to apologize and that he was glad he could be there for her. Molly couldn't help wondering why this man who she barely knew wanted to help her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her son's cheerful exclamation, "Mum, great news!" as he entered through the back door. Upon seeing his mother on the floor, Charlie's demeanor immediately changed and he rushed to her side, ignoring the other man in the room. "Mum, what's wrong? What happened?" he asked, concern written all over his face as he helped his mother up.

Sniffing, Molly patted her son's cheek, thankful for having such a caring child. "You needn't worry about it," she answered, knowing it would only upset Charlie. "You're in a much better mood than when you left this morning."

Charlie furrowed his eyebrows. "Mum, the state you're in only proves that I need to worry about it."

Molly took a seat on the couch, closely followed by Charlie, before she was ready to answer. Just as she was about to start, the fireplace roared in the kitchen and Bill and Fleur came into the sitting room. They had been coming over on Sundays to see how everything was. Unsurprisingly, Bill's reaction was much like his brother's. Her two oldest boys took a seat on either side of her while Conner and Fleur made themselves scarce, not wanting to intrude.

"Mum?" Bill prompted.

"Your father came by," she started quietly before Charlie interrupted.

"What was that good-for-nothing - !"

Bill cut him off with a stern glare and a warning, "Charlie."

"He was going to tell me something," Molly continued, "but then he saw Conner…" She let out a shaky breath.

As she watched her sons anxiously, she could tell Charlie was taking this information the way she expected, but Bill was unreadable. Finally, Bill said, "Do you want me to talk to him? I was planning on seeing him tonight anyway because there is something else I need to talk to him about as well."

Molly merely nodded. She was tired of fighting this never-ending battle, but she wasn't ready to quit just yet.

"Mum," Charlie said as he stood, "are you going to be okay for a few minutes?"

"I think so. I need to check on Conner anyway. And say hi to Fleur."

Charlie nodded. "Bill, can I see you in the garden?"

Once they were safely out of earshot, Charlie turned to his older brother. He figured Bill knew about the picture, but he needed to talk to him about it anyway. He wasn't going to confront their father about it, and he sure as hell wasn't going to break the news to their mum.

"Did you see the paper today?" he asked.

Bill adopted a grim expression and nodded. "That's what I was gonna talk to him about."

"Well, find out what he was thinking," Charlie said as he began to pace angrily. "You know, when I thought he could sink no lower, he goes and does something like this."

Putting out a hand to stop his brother, Bill became extremely serious. "Look, I am furious about it too, but you need to act natural so Mum doesn't find out – Wait, she doesn't know, does she?"

Charlie shook his head.

"And what about Ron?"

The former dragon trainer shook his head again.

"Good. Get rid of that newspaper and don't say anything. I'm sure that's what Dad was going to tell Mum, and if I have anything to do with it, that is the _only_ way she is going to find out."

Once they reentered the house, they found their mum, Conner, and Fleur back in the kitchen. Conner shook Charlie and Bill's hands in turn, reintroducing himself to Charlie and introducing himself to Bill. Out of all eight remaining Weasleys, he had only met Molly and Charlie, but had no doubt heard about all of them.

When everyone took a seat, Molly recalled Charlie had something to say earlier. "Oh, Charlie dear, what was your great news?"

"Oh, yeah," Charlie remembered, scratching his head. Recently, he hadn't felt guilty about moving out and leaving his mum more alone than she already was, but now he was second guessing himself. He watched his mother closely as he told her he had found a house and he would be moving into it at the end of the month. If she was upset, she didn't show it. In fact, she seemed overjoyed.

Charlie animatedly described the house until Ron and Hermione came in a little while later.

Upon seeing the stranger at the table, Ron shook his hand. "Are you Conner?" he asked.

"I am."

"Ron. And this is Hermione. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Conner reciprocated, shaking Hermione's hand next.

Ron wanted to say how much he liked him more than his father already, but refrained, knowing it would only upset his mum. Instead, Ron kissed her on the cheek and greeted his brothers and sister-in-law before taking a seat by Hermione.

After Charlie finished and Bill and Fleur gave an overview of their week, Hermione nudged Ron. The couple had news of their own, but now Ron felt bad that he would be leaving just before Charlie moved out. He knew how much this meant to his girlfriend and right now she needed him more than his mother did. Molly had his other brothers to help out after all.

Clearing his throat, Ron gained the attention of the room. "Er – Hermione and I are going to Australia," he blurted. He had never been good at breaking news gently. "She wants to find her parents before school starts back." Staring at his mother, he waited for her disapproval…but it never came.

"I think that is very sweet of you, Ron, but we don't have the money," she said regretfully, patting his hand.

"I know…Harry has lent us the money," Ron explained. "And we'll be leaving later this week."

Molly's face fell. Of course, she wasn't against her son helping Hermione find her parents, but did they have to leave so soon? And there was no telling how long they would be gone. Then Charlie would be moving out in a matter of weeks. Soon, she would be left all alone. Not a day in her life, had she been _completely_ alone.

"Mum?" Ron's concerned voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "You're okay with me doing this, aren't you?"

She forced a smile and cheerful tone. "Of course, I am. Hermione may be the brightest witch of her age, but she can't go all by herself."

"You and Harry made up then?" Bill asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah. I realized I can't make him choose between me and Ginny. He can't voice his true opinion either, you know?"

Sensing the tension this comment created, Fleur began asking Conner about what he did for a living. This lightened the mood tremendously because it turned out he worked at the Ministry in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He worked out in the field for the most part, which explained his physique and caused an almost-instant bond between him and Charlie. However, he was bombarded with questions about where he stood on house elves and werewolves from Hermione. Even though his views on werewolves matched Hermione's, his opinion on house elves did not.

Despite the earlier events, the rest of the afternoon went by pleasantly. Everyone got to know Conner and Conner learned a lot about them. No one wanted the day to end they were having such a good time.

 **oOoOo**

Days went by and no one saw or heard from Arthur. Despite the various attempts to speak with his father, it was Wednesday before Bill finally contacted him.

After knocking on his dad's door for what seemed like the tenth time in three days, his dad came to the door with a half empty bottle in his hand. "Are you happy now?" Arthur grumbled. "I've opened the door, so you can stop the incessant knocking. I thought you'd have stopped after the first day."

Bill put his foot out to stop the door from closing and followed his dad inside. "You mean you've been here the whole time?" he asked incredulously.

"Not entirely." Turning to face his oldest son, Arthur said, "Let's skip the pleasantries. Cut to the chase, so you can leave. You're here to defend that slut, aren't you?"

"That's alright. I don't have anything pleasant to say to you anyway. Dad, Mum hasn't been cheating on you. She would _never_ do that," Bill tried explaining to an already inebriated Arthur, ignoring the low jab at his mum. It was only five-fifteen on a Wednesday and he knew Arthur never got off before five. According to Percy though, he hadn't shown up for work all week.

"How naive are you? How stupid do you think I am?" Arthur questioned, taking another pull from the bottle.

"Dad, you know she would never do something like that!" Bill hollered. "Any excuse for you to shut people out and get plastered! Why don't you take a Sober Up potion and we can discuss this civilly."

"No, I'm perfectly capable of having a conversation," Arthur slurred.

Not believing this one bit, Bill continued, "She's told him everything that has happened between you two. All she wants is to understand, so things can go back to how they were."

"Fine, suppose she is telling the truth. I still don't appreciate her telling a complete stranger about my personal life."

"She doesn't know what else to do! None of us do!" Bill paused then calmly stated, "We just want you back."

"Cheating isn't going to bring me back!" Arthur shot.

" _She hasn't cheated on you_!" Bill repeated. "But you sure do have some explaining to do. Charlie and I saw the picture in _The Daily Prophet_. Tell me what that's about!"

Clenching his jaw, Arthur glared at Bill. "That was nothing."

"Nothing? Nothing! I saw you dancing with another woman. I saw you _kissing_ another fucking woman! Maybe you automatically think Mum is cheating on you because you are cheating on her. I'm not making any assumptions right now. I'm going to let you explain yourself because this is not something to be taken lightly or misinterpreted."

"You're mistaken –"

"No, I'm not. I know what my own father looks like even if his face is hidden because it's too busy sucking someone else's. And don't say she's just a friend, because she isn't. I've never seen her. I've met your work colleagues. She wasn't in the Order. I don't know who she is. The picture I saw _clearly_ showed me that she is _not_ just a friend. So I would like for you to explain yourself _now_ ," Bill ordered.

"Bill, this has nothing to do with me! This has everything to do with that whore! She is cheating on me. I've been to the Burrow twice and both of those times that man was in the house, alone with her. How am I supposed to believe that she isn't cheating on me? How am I supposed to believe the story that she told me? I'm not falling for it a second time!"

"Yeah, well maybe you immediately jump to that conclusion because that is exactly what you're doing to her!" Bill shouted an inch from his father's face, jamming a finger into his chest.

Arthur was struck dumb. Bill took after him. He had always been level-headed and had a slow-burning fuse. He supposed this was the lycanthropic side of his son showing through.

Calming himself, Bill took a few paces before continuing. "Well, are you going to tell her or should I?"

"I _was_ going to tell her, but that's when I found that bastard there."

"That's it. I'm not talking to you when you're like this," he said while reaching into his pocket and bringing out a Sober Up potion. With how frequently Arthur was drunk nowadays, almost all of the Weasley kids would have one on hand. There was no telling what state their father would be in even if he had plans. "Besides, Harry will be here in forty minutes."

Damn, that was tonight? Arthur had lost track of what day it was, seeing as he had only left the flat for food and liquor when he deemed it necessary. "It's nothing that can't wait a day," Arthur replied, pushing the vial back towards Bill.

"You can't keep going back on your commitments. George gave him the night off. Harry already talked Mum 'round to it at their dinner, but your answer mean more to him." Bill had been at the Burrow when Harry brought Molly home from their dinner, so he knew the reason for the occasion. This didn't only affect the raven-haired boy, but the youngest Weasley as well. "Take the potion, shower, shave, and get dressed. I'll go with you to talk to Mum afterward."

In response, Arthur put the bottle to his lips again. Before any liquid reached his tongue, it was snatched from his hand and slammed on the cluttered coffee table which contained take away boxes and two empty bottles, Bill noticed. His dad hadn't been living here a week and he had gone through at least two and a half fifths of firewhisky.

"Dad, this has to stop. You have responsibilities as a husband and as a father. You have shirked those responsibilities for your own selfish reasons. It is clear that you love yourself and booze more than your family. Otherwise, you'd be at home, happy with Mum. The past three days, you haven't been at work. No one has seen or heard from you. You can't keep disappearing like that! There are still people that care about you. And you can't afford to lose your job. Even though you don't live there anymore, Mum still depends on you." Bill shoved the purple potion into Arthur's hands, giving his dad a stern look that made it impossible to refuse this time.

"I don't know what's happened. I don't know what is going on with you. You won't talk to anyone about it. You won't face up to these issues yourself. The way you have been acting is completely inexcusable. I don't know why you are doing any of these things. I don't know why you have been the polar opposite of yourself! You need to figure it out, alright? Because Charlie and Ron stopped giving a shit about you the day at the shed. I've almost given up on you. I'm giving you one more chance before I finally just stop caring. I'm not going to turn my back on you like Charlie and Ron have, but I'll be done. And I don't know what Percy, George, and Ginny think they could do to help you because you don't want anyone's help. You don't even want to help your-fucking-self!" Bill paused and took a deep breath while running a hand down his face. He had only meant to address the issue of the woman, but he couldn't stop himself. This was his chance to get everything off his chest. He had been thinking these things for weeks and had only voiced a few of his concerns to Fleur. Now, he could tell his father what he thought, and, hopefully, knock some sense into him.

"Ginny is Daddy's little girl. She's always been your little girl. She looks up to you – We all look up to you, but her moreso than the rest of us because she is your daughter and daughters have a different relationship with their fathers than sons do. So I don't think she's ever going to give up on you. I know she is never going to turn her back on you, but she needs to. Otherwise you're just going to break her heart over, and over, and over again, just like you did with Mum. And - and George, he lost his brother – his twin – his best friend. H-He – _None_ of us needed to lose any more siblings or parents but you have ripped this family down the middle, have torn it to shreds."

The potion not having kicked in yet, Arthur made to protest. He had barely gotten a word in edgewise since Bill arrived. He had had enough of his son's rant. He didn't have to stand here and take this.

Bill held up a hand to stop Arthur from interrupting. " _That_ _is all on you_. That is all because of your actions and things that you have said." He began pacing again, the lack of furniture making it easy to do so. "I don't know why George sided with you, but he has lost two more brothers and has turned his back on his mother. He could've remained neutral like me and Percy, but he sided with you and that is a horrible mistake he has made because he isn't only suffering the loss of Fred, but of Charlie, Ron, and Mum. He doesn't show it. He doesn't talk about it. But I know, as his older brother, that he is torn up about what has happened. He wasn't ready to move out of the Burrow. He moved back to his flat because of all this shit that you've put your family through. He didn't want to stay there with two brothers who disowned him. I'm just glad that Mum finally got talked around to letting Ginny and Harry move in with him. Otherwise, I don't even want to think of what could've happened, or what could happen.

"And then there's Percy. Percy finally made amends with his family. He wanted to come back to a family that was whole – or as whole as it could be." Halting, he faced his father again. "That lasted all of what? A week? Two? At most. And then that all fell apart. Ron and Charlie didn't want anything to do with him. You saw they didn't show up to his engagement party. He says that he didn't care if they came or not – that he preferred they didn't. But he wanted them there. He told me that he had been waiting to propose and get married until he made up with his family. He has tried to help you. He let you live with him for a week. He would've let you live with him for as long as you needed to. Then he laid down that ultimatum; quit drinking or leave. You didn't give him the chance to enact that rule. You went out that afternoon and found somewhere else to live. He wouldn't have enforced that rule because he did not want to lose his father again. Percy's not going to give up on you.' At a loss for words, Bill let out a deep breath. "I don't know what else to say. I can't – I can't say anything else, because you would have listened a long time ago. This has been going on for two months now. And you don't even care, so why should any of us?"

Arthur scratched at his beard while comprehending everything Bill had said. He knew how he had ruined everything, but he didn't know why any of his kids were sticking by him. In his opinion, none of them should even care; hell, he didn't even care about himself anymore. What he wanted was to be left alone, so he could try to figure things out on his own. He didn't want his family anywhere near him until that was taken care of. As much as he would like to, he couldn't control what any of his kids did. He would much rather Bill, Percy, George, and Ginny turn their backs on him like Ron and Charlie had. If they did that, then he would be left to drink himself to death, because he didn't want to live with himself anymore, with what he had done, with what had happened throughout the course of the war, with how he felt nearly every day for the past few months, but he couldn't do that if his kids didn't leave him alone. Arthur knew that he didn't deserve help or for anyone to stick by him. Having sobered up, Arthur knew better than to voice what he was thinking, so all he said was, "None of you should. I don't deserve help."

Realizing that his father wasn't going to say anything else, Bill continued, "You know, I agree with you, alright? I don't know what my brothers and sister are thinking, but they need to stay out of it. You are going to hurt them - maybe not physically, but emotionally, mentally. You know, Mum – Mum is – I don't know how far away she is, how much longer you have until she gives up on you, before she turns her back on you. But she loves you with all of her heart, even after everything that has happened. After everything you've done. And, honestly, I don't know how she still loves you or why she is still trying. I don't know what you and Mum talked about at Percy's engagement party. That's between you and her, but she isn't ready to give up on you yet. She doesn't want to lose the one thing she loves above all others. So, this is what's going to happen. Harry will be here in a few minutes, so you are going to get ready. You aren't going to drink anything else tonight because you are not going to ruin this for him. I'll wait until he gets here and I'll be here when you get back to go talk to Mum."

Being of sound mind, Arthur agreed. He didn't like being bossed around, especially by his son, but he allowed it this one time. This was apparently a major deal and he wasn't going to be the one to mess it up like he had everything else. He had just finished getting ready when Harry knocked on the door.

 **oOoOo**

Harry had made reservations at a fancy muggle restaurant in London. He had chosen a muggle establishment to avoid unwanted attention from the press and fans. Arthur noticed it didn't look much different from a wizarding establishment.

Dinner went by with friendly conversation and Harry hadn't revealed the reason for the occasion. The waiter brought out their desert when Arthur finally brought up the subject. "So, Harry, to what do I owe this honor?"

"Oh! Umm…" Harry hesitated, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Apparently this caught the boy by surprise. Perhaps, he had temporarily forgotten why he had planned this dinner. "I-I would like…" he trailed off and suddenly became extremely interested in his fork.

"Harry? What is it?" Arthur gently prompted, giving his full attention to the young man in front of him.

Emerald green eyes met light blue as he clearly plucked up all the courage he had. "Mr. Weasley, I'd like your blessing."

His blessing? Arthur wasn't sure what blessing Harry wanted. Bill said Harry had talked Molly around to it, – whatever _it_ was - and whenever someone asked his girlfriend's parents for a blessing, it was – No. It couldn't be. "Ginny?" he whispered, eyebrows furrowed.

Harry nodded. "I want to ask Ginny to marry me. And I would like your permission."

Before giving an answer, Arthur voiced his concerns. "I don't think that's a good idea, Harry. You know I see you as a son and I am overjoyed that you and Ginny are dating, but you are both too young and haven't been dating very long. Ginny still has a year left at school. Do you even have a clue what you want to do as a career? Unless you're happy at the joke shop? I'm sorry, Harry, but my answer is no; however, I will let you try to convince me otherwise," he finished, leaning back in his chair, waiting for Harry to prove him wrong. There was no doubt in his mind that his daughter's boyfriend had thought this through, but he wanted to hear the boy's plans.

Clearing his throat, Harry sat up straighter. He had prepared for this and since he already talked to Mrs. Weasley, he had an idea of other questions Mr. Weasley might ask. "Actually, Ginny and I have dated longer than you think."

"Oh?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes sir. We dated during her fifth year, and I only broke up with her to keep her safe while Ron, Hermione, and I were out hunting Voldemort. If they knew she was my girlfriend, I'm sure they'd have gone after her first. Not a day went by that I didn't think about her," Harry admitted.

This revelation made the Weasley patriarch both disappointed and thankful. Disappointed because his little girl hadn't told him about that milestone in her life, and thankful that Harry cared about her so much he didn't want her getting hurt. There was more to this boy than he originally thought. "I appreciate that, Harry. I really do.."

"Of course, Mr. Weasley. I didn't want any of you getting hurt. You're like family to me. But, hear me out. Ginny and I are both mature for our age. We both played major roles in the war, so there wasn't much choice but to grow up."

Arthur had to admit that all of his kids had grown up tremendously, more than they should have over the past two years alone,. Even his prankster twins matured more than he thought they ever would. It was truly heartbreaking how so many kids lost their carefree childhoods so quickly. That's what war does though – ends childhoods, destroys families, causes more funerals than necessary – and all for nothing really.

"As for the career," Harry continued, "Ron and I will be going to auror training when he gets back from Australia."

Sitting up, Arthur stopped him there. "Australia?" he questioned. Even if he wasn't on speaking terms with two of his children, someone would have told him that his youngest was travelling halfway across the world. For a moment, he wondered if Molly knew. Surely, she wouldn't have approved.

Harry began fidgeting again. He knew what names to avoid around which Weasleys and he normally did good about it, but this time it slipped. The dinner had gone well thus far and now he thought he blew it. "Yes sir," he said timidly. "He and Hermione are leaving Friday. They've gone to find her parents."

It was a minute before Arthur responded. "Ok then." This was not the time or place to discuss this. Later, he would ask Bill if anyone planned on informing him of Ron's journey. Going back to the task at hand, he prompted, "So, you are going to be an auror. That is a dangerous job. Is Ginny okay with that?"

"She is. We have actually talked extensively about what we want out of life. There aren't any major differences. And we will wait to get married until after she's graduated," he ensured, having had that as a question from Mrs. Weasley. "Mr. Weasley, please, can I ask your daughter to marry me?"

Hearing all of this impressed Arthur. Most young couples don't think things all the way through. Hell, he and Molly just up and eloped one day. Harry had changed his mind several minutes ago and this was the icing on the cake. He fixed Harry with a stern look nonetheless, knowing he would intimidate him despite the years they knew each other. "Don't hurt her," he warned. "And I don't want her busy planning a wedding while she is supposed to be studying. I still think you are moving too fast, but…" Now Arthur broke into a grin. "You have my blessing."

Relieved, Harry leaned back in his chair. "Thank you, Mr. Weasley. I promise I won't hurt her." As he dug into his desert, he couldn't help but think that Mr. Weasley should listen to what had just come out of his own mouth. Honestly, Harry hadn't taken a side between the Weasley parents, but he wished they would work it out. After all, this was the only family he had.

The two spent the next hour chatting and talking more about Harry's imminent proposal. This dinner served as a welcome distraction from reality for Arthur.

 **A/N: I just realized two years is the eighteenth, but I won't have time to work on this this weekend and it's ready so.**

 **Hope y'all enjoyed!**


	24. Conner's Warning

**A/N: Hey! It's been a while, I know. Thank you for all the favorites and follows since the last update. I hope everyone has been well and coping with finals.**

 **I reread Bill's Rant again, and is it that difficult to read? I found the rant part rather tedious. I apologize if it was.**

 **In response to the Guest review, you never know what could happen and I think I previously stated that he was divorced and had a kid. I may be mistaken though. Thank you for your review. I hope you continue to enjoy the story!**

 **Here is Chapter 24, a bit shorter than recent chapters, but not as short as earlier ones.**

 **Conner's Warning**

The dinner went so well it was rather late when Arthur returned to his flat, but Bill was waiting for him all the same. After a reminder from Bill that he would tell Molly about her husband's infidelity if he didn't, Arthur went without a fight.

When they arrived at the Burrow, it was clear Molly had been expecting them, but Arthur was not expecting Conner to be there as well. Arthur was unsure what was going on, but he assumed Molly wanted him to apologize not only to her, but Conner as well. Or perhaps this was another attempt at getting him to open up. In order to keep everyone happy, Arthur waited for someone else to speak first.

Sure enough, Molly started, going off into an explanation about why she had been spending so much time with Conner. There were no greetings or pleasantries or apologies from Molly or the Irishman. The more Molly spoke, the less Arthur wanted to hear. He had already gotten a heads up from Bill about Molly divulging all their personal problems to the stranger, but it sounded like they met up two or three times a week to not only talk about his and Molly's marital problems and things that should stay between spouses, but their kids and the most random, trivial things.

His wife and this stranger had become _friends_!And _close_ friends at that.

When Molly finished speaking, Conner held out his hand as he introduced himself, but Arthur was not interested in meeting the man his wife spent more and more time with. Instead, Arthur crossed his arms and stood at his full height, still not as tall as the other man.

"Stay away from my wife," Arthur demanded, determined to put a stop to whatever this friendship was bound to turn into. "That means no owls, no bumping into her anywhere, no meeting for tea or lunch, and especially no coming to _my_ house. No contact in any way. Do I make myself clear?"

"Arthur, I have no ulterior motives. I - " Conner began, showing no signs of intimidation.

"- It is a yes or no question," Arthur interrupted. "Keep away from my wife, understand?"

"All I'm trying to do is help this kind, caring woman who you treat like shit. You need -"

" _Arthur_!" Molly shrieked.

Arthur's fist connected with Conner's jaw before he could finish his sentence. He got a couple more blows in before the stronger, taller man caught his wrists in a tight grip, but not without getting a broken nose himself. Struggling, Arthur failed to break free. He couldn't help himself. This man had no right to talk about him or his wife. He was an outsider and did not know what was going on with this family. Seriously, who did this guy think he was? What was his game? No one would do what he had without wanting something in return.

"Dad, don't make me stun you," Bill warned, exasperated, lazily pulling out his wand. Of course something like this was bound to happen.

Arthur stopped struggling, but Conner didn't let go and continued from where he was cut off. "You need to stop this, Arthur. Otherwise, you will destroy your marriage to a woman who you still obviously love even though you haven't been showing it. Stop this now or you will regret it," he warned, referring to his own past experience. Conner let go of his wrists. "Trust me."

Molly asked the Irishman if he was alright and healed the cut on his cheek while apologizing for her husband's behavior before walking him out. It seemed like none of this affected Conner though. It was strange. What kind of person was content and held no ill will after being attacked like that?

The way Conner reacted and how his wife seemed to fawn over this stranger only increased Arthur's suspicions. Completely ignoring him and his broken nose, she immediately went over to Conner. Never in their lives had Molly preferred another man over Arthur unless it was one of their kids. Feeling like yesterday's trash would have been ten times better than how Arthur felt right now.

"Do you still believe them over me?" Arthur asked Bill as his son fixed his nose.

Bill huffed and ignored his father's surprisingly valid question. "Your nose is fixed, but it'll be sore for a while. When Mum gets back in here, you are going to tell her what you did."

"What about what she's done?

"That's not why we are here." Bill had only seen his mum with Conner once and while they got along really well, he didn't suspect anything, but seeing her go to another man instead of his dad who was injured worse made him question what was actually going on.

Molly approached Arthur when she came back in a few minutes later. A resounding slap rang throughout the kitchen as Molly's hand struck his cheek forcefully enough to turn his head. "Arthur, that man has done nothing to you or this family. Attacking him like that is absolutely uncalled for," she chastised.

Did she just slap him? Never, in his life, did he imagine she would _ever_ do something like that. Glaring daggers, Arthur rubbed his cheek as he turned back to his wife. He plastered a fake smile across his face and said, "For everyone's sake, _never_ do that again."

Hands on her hips and fire burning in her eyes, Molly replied, "You don't scare me, Arthur Weasley."

"I'm not trying to scare you. I don't want to scare you. I'm warning you."

"Fine. If we are playing that game, never lay another finger on me again, never hit Conner again."

That wasn't fair. Arthur had already apologized countless times for the way he treated her and she knew how much he hated himself for hurting her. For now, he would push that to the back of his mind. That was another conversation for another time. Right now, there were more important issues to deal with.

Letting out a deep breath, Arthur flatly stated, "Molly, you know nothing about him."

"Yes, I do," she countered.

"No, you don't. He could've been one of Voldemort's followers. Not necessarily a Death Eater, but one of his supporters -"

"- His son was an auror," she defended, voice rising. "And he is a muggle-born. He was in hiding just like half of Wizarding Britain."

"Everything he told you could be a lie! Even though the war is over, there is no telling who you can trust. There are still loads of dark wizards loose, and you brought him into this house. He knows where we live. He can pass through the wards without having one of us accompanying him," Arthur tried to explain. He thought Molly would understand this better than anyone else. Clearly, she wasn't as cautious as he thought. Then again, Molly never was one for the security questions after Voldemort's second rise to power.

"You are just jealous, Arthur," Molly accused, pointing a finger at him, "for no reason."

"Okay." Arthur threw his hands out in admission. "I am jealous. I have every right to be. This is a man I have never met and three times now, you've been alone with him. But that is not the point I'm trying to make right now. He could be dangerous."

"Arthur, you are making unfounded accusations because you clearly don't trust me. You can go now." Molly gestured to the door behind him.

Taking this opportunity, Arthur turned to leave, but Bill grasped his upper arm to stop him.

"Dad has something to tell you first," Bill prompted, shooting his father a sideways glance.

Reluctantly, Arthur faced his wife and begrudgingly apologized for accusing her of infidelity again.

"How could you think I would do that to you?" Molly asked.

"I know. I overreacted. It's just...recently, my mind immediately goes to the worst case scenario. I can't help it," he explained.

"So, uh, Dad, why were you here Sunday?" Bill interceded. The quicker his father got to the point, the quicker this would be over.

Molly cocked an eyebrow at her husband; the same question had been on her mind for days now. He had shown up out of nowhere, looking like hell, not wearing his own clothes and didn't even give a reason for his being there.

"I came here as soon as Neil told me what happened, but then Conner was here...I thought you had done to me what I did to you and I couldn't deal with that. But because of that, I know how you are about to feel."

"And what _did_ happen?" Molly questioned, already catching on to what her husband was about to say but hoping she was mistaken.

Arthur paled. It was time. There was no more procrastinating. He didn't have a choice. Molly would find out one way or another, and he'd rather her find out from him now lest it damage their relationship any more.

Arthur swallowed hard. This would hurt him as much as it hurt her. "I-I lost my head Saturday night. I still can't remember anything after Percy's party, but…I think I slept with another woman. I am so, _so_ sorry."

All color drained from Molly's face and she braced herself on the counter. How could he do this to her? He even knew how it felt, to think the one person you loved above all others had been unfaithful. Had she pushed him away? Was she the reason for his infidelity? Molly wanted all these questions answered, but one question prevailed above all others.

"Why?" Molly whispered, eyes bright.

"There is no reason," he admitted. "It was a one-time thing, a slip up. Y-You don't know how rotten I've felt. I will never be able to forgive myself. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I beg you, don't let this end things for us."

"You know, I never did like it when you went out with your brothers."

"Molly, I've never cheated on you, never even looked at another woman before this. I promise." He reached out for her hand, but she recoiled.

"Don't," Molly spat. " _Go_.."

Arthur knew he shouldn't have expected anything else. In time, Molly would either forgive him or condemn him, and with how things were going, he wouldn't be surprised if it were the latter. Besides, he knew what he would do if he were in her position.

From that night on, an unspoken agreement was formed between the four oldest Weasleys that none of them would breathe a word to another soul concerning the events that took place on Saturday, July 4, 1998.

 **oOoOo**

Over the next week and a half, neither Molly nor Arthur communicated to one another. Molly did not heed Arthur's warning that Conner could be dangerous and kept meeting with him. Arthur spent more time at work and stuck to his usual extracurricular activities in his free time. It wasn't until the next Friday that the couple was called into the same room.

Molly had gone to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes that afternoon to speak to George for the first time since Percy's engagement party. Ginny's three weeks would be up the next day, and she didn't care what Arthur said, her daughter would be moving back home. Unfortunately, this led to a full blown argument between her and her somewhat estranged son in his office.

When he had had enough, George stepped out of the office and told Harry to send a patronus to Arthur at work saying something important had come up and he needed him in his office immediately. Ever since Fred had been killed, George was unable to produce his own patronus. It was odd, but it didn't really bother him.

It wasn't long before Arthur entered George's office. Upon his entrance, the spouses spotted each other simultaneously.

Molly asked, "What are you playing at, George?" at the same time Arthur mumbled, "I knew I shouldn't've come."

"This isn't about either of you," George cut in. "Though both of you should pull your head out of your arse."

"George," both of his parents reprimanded.

"I'm only saying what everyone is thinking. You are both to blame. You have both done things to damage your relationship. This is ridiculous! Nothing has happened to cause you two to be like this. Fred's death shouldn't have done this. If anything, it should have brought you two closer."

"Don't bring him into this," Molly said.

"You are not going to sweep him under the carpet like you did Gracie. I am bringing him into this because he would be standing here saying the same damn thing." George couldn't help himself. His mother had pushed his temper over the edge already, and with how everything else had been going, he felt he needed to tell his parents how stupid they were being. He took a deep breath. "But that's beside the point. Dad told us Ginny can stay with me until she goes to Hogwarts and if any issues arose to come to him." George looked at his father pointedly. "Mum said she has to go back to the Burrow tomorrow night."

Arthur was about to defend his son and daughter before catching Molly's glower. As much as he wanted his kids to be happy, he knew that going against his wife, especially after what he had done, would only make matters worse. Glancing back at an expectant George, he was torn. The kids he did have meant the world to him, but he wanted his family to be whole again even if it was a long shot. The guilt on top of that made him feel powerless.

"I'm sorry, George," Arthur apologized. "I don't have a say anymore."

"What? Did I miss something? Or are you just going back on your word again?" George shot.

"I don't have a choice," Arthur ground out.

"I'll be by after you close tomorrow to pick up Ginny. Make sure she's packed," Molly instructed, head held high in victory.

George leaned on his desk. He had thought, for sure, his dad would have stood up for him. His dad was never consistent nowadays though. He looked up and, through gritted teeth, he commanded, "Get out." When Molly didn't move, he added, "Both of you. And, Mother, don't even contact me unless it's about my sister."

As they made their way to the front of the store, Molly asked, "So does your word not mean anything anymore?"

This made Arthur stop in his tracks, causing Molly to nearly run into him. She knew exactly why he let her have her way and now she was goading him? This was unbelievable. Did she not want the same thing he did, for their lives to return to normal?

When he turned around, he pointed out, "That only would have had us at each other's throats. I swear, sometimes you like the conflict."

"No, Arthur, I don't, but there is no middle ground with you anymore. You always either let things happen or completely go off the deep end."

"You know why I didn't say anything in there? Because," Arthur ducked a toy flying overhead, "I knew it would only make things worse for everyone and I don't want that, but you want to see me let things happen? Fine! I won't do anything! I won't try anymore! I've already come close to quitting once or twice, so it shouldn't be too difficult."

"Do that and see where it gets you, Arthur Weasley," Molly hissed as she passed him and disappeared into the crowd.

Arthur was left standing there, befuddled. What did she mean by that? He didn't think his life could get any worse, so what could she do that would take him below rock bottom?


	25. Sacrifice

**A/N: I know it's been a few months. I ended up having to take summer classes. On the bright side, I have now finished my associate's degree and can transfer for my bachelor's in theatre!**

 **Thank you to finkles89 and the guest review! Also, thanks for the new favorites and follows.**

 **If y'all haven't checked out** _ **Learning to Cope Without Arthur**_ **, a new chapter was published a couple months ago.**

 **Hope y'all enjoy chapter 25! Please review and tell me some things y'all would like to see! Sadly, things have to get worse before they get better though.**

 **Sacrifice**

An owl pecked at the window as soon as Arthur walked in. It was no surprise. This had been a regular occurrence the past week. He put the brown paper bag and take-out container on the small, unstable kitchen table. He then let the owl in. Arthur took the letter out of its beak. After reading over the letter, he tossed it with the others on the counter.

That letter made fifteen…in the past week…from the same person…saying almost the exact. same. thing. He read them all, nonetheless, but he never replied. He wanted to avoid any further conflict, so he stayed silent. This was getting ridiculous now. Clearly, she was extremely unhappy. Arthur couldn't ignore this any longer.

The owl pecked his hand, gaining his attention. Even though the owl never got one, it waited on a reply. However, tonight Arthur jotted down _On my way._ He gave the bird a few more treats so maybe it would deliver the note before he got there. It took off immediately after.

Arthur took a shot of liquid courage, finishing off that bottle. No doubt, this would not be a pleasant conversation. There was no way he could face his wife completely sober, especially with what he was about to do.

Giving the owl and alcohol a head start, he quickly ate the Chinese take-out. He banished the trash, empty bottles, and dirty glasses that littered the apartment. He stuffed the stack of letters in his back pocket then apparated to the Burrow.

Arthur took a deep breath before knocking on the old, weather-beaten door. Was he really going to sacrifice his marriage for his daughter? Molly had not been showing any signs of forgiveness and if it were not for his kids, he would be entirely alone. He hadn't expected anything from anyone after the past few months. He'd prefer the kids leave him alone, but they obviously still needed him.

Suddenly, the door swung open. Ginny's face lit up.

"Dad!" she blurted, bouncing across the gap between them, nearly knocking him off balance. .

Arthur returned the tight embrace. "I take it the owl hasn't been back yet?" he chuckled with amusement. As he said that, he realized how serious her letters must have been if she was that excited to see him. Then it dawned on him how hopeless she must have felt sending those letters, never to get a reply.

"No, it hasn't. You don't know how happy I am to –"

"Ginny, get back inside," Molly said, standing in the doorway. "What are you doing here?" she directed at Arthur.

Ginny didn't move. She stuck close to her dad, the joyful mood shifting to one of hostility.

"Ginny, now," Molly ordered.

Arthur took a step in front of his daughter. "No. This involves her," he calmly intervened.

Molly took a step onto the porch and gently closed the door behind her. "How is that?" she asked, hands on hips.

"Can we not discuss this inside? Civilly," Arthur suggested.

Molly visibly tensed. Arthur got the feeling there was something inside she didn't want him to see. Conner crossed his mind. If he made his suspicions known again, he knew nothing good could come of it. The thought of Molly with him made Arthur's blood boil. He shook that absurdity out of his head. He needed to focus on the task at hand.

"Arthur, why are you here?" Molly repeated.

"I've done some thinking." Arthur crossed his arms. "I want my daughter."

Unsurprisingly, Molly denied his request without hesitation.

When Ginny began to protest, Arthur intervened again. "Ginny, perhaps you ought to go inside." He looked her in the eyes. "I will handle this. I promise."

Confident her father would handle this, Ginny went inside without further argument.

Arthur pulled the stack of letters out of his pocket, including the few George had sent on his sister's behalf. "She does not have to stay somewhere she hates."

"She is well-taken care of here. Can you say the same if she stays with you?" Molly challenged.

"Of course."

Molly let out a humorless laugh. "This is coming from a man who thinks crisps and peanuts can be considered dinner!"

What? Where on earth did she hear that? Admittedly, Arthur did have that instead of a meal, but not _all_ the time. Only when he didn't realize how late it was and most everywhere had already closed, which, actually, was quite often. It still didn't explain how Molly knew about it.

Before things could escalate, Molly threatened to get Charlie if Arthur did not leave. Arthur refused. He was not going anywhere without his daughter. Plus, he had made her a promise, and he intended to keep it.

"She is going _nowhere_ ," Molly reiterated.

"Would you like to read these and see just how unhappy she is?" Arthur asked, gesturing to the letters. "Or we could get her back out here and ask her," he suggested before calling Ginny. As if she had been standing just on the other side of the door, she was on the porch within seconds.

"Are you happy here?" Arthur asked Ginny.

Without hesitation, Ginny answered, "Miserable."

"And living with an aggressive drunk will be better?" Molly questioned, becoming a bit aggressive herself.

"I'm not a drunk," Arthur objected.

"If you mean _my dad_ , then _yes_ ," Ginny replied hotly. "That will be a hundred times better than living here."

Crossing her arms, her mother coolly replied, "When it's not as great as you thought it would be, don't come crying to me."

Arthur opened the door for his daughter. "Ginny, you and Harry go get packed."

"If you leave, you can't come back home," Molly threatened, clearly grasping at straws.

"Why would I want to come back to an overbearing, self-centered control freak? You have turned into a real world-class bitch and this hasn't been home for months now!" Ginny yelled before storming inside, slamming the door behind her.

Molly stood, dumbfounded, before rounding on Arthur. "I can't believe you let her speak to me that way!"

"Who am I to stand in the way of the truth?" Arthur deadpanned.

"Did you put those thoughts in her head?"

"Nope." Arthur dropped the letters at her feet. "It's all in there, but apparently, she felt you needed to hear it for yourself."

The door swung open. "Mum, what's going on?" Charlie asked. "We came in the back and things were boiling over." He looked forward from pulling the door shut behind him. Upon seeing Arthur, he became defensive. "Why are you here?" he asked harshly.

"Why does it matter to you?" Arthur countered.

Molly intervened this time. "It's okay, Charlie. He's picking up Ginny and Harry."

"What? No."

"We've already discussed it," Molly informed her son.

"You can't be serious. She won't be safe."

"She'll have Harry," Molly assured.

"She won't need Harry. I make one mistake and can't hear the end of it," Arthur griped…Okay, more than one, but everyone makes mistakes. No one is perfect. He tried to pass Molly and Charlie to enter the house, but was stopped by both of them.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To see if the kids need help," he honestly answered. Once again, the suspicion of another man being in the house arose. That would be the only logical reason as to why they were being so secretive. Nothing else would cause them to act this way. He gently pushed past them.

The house did not look any different. Arthur heard noise from upstairs – Ginny and Harry, no doubt – but he also heard movement in the kitchen. Harry had told him about Ron and Hermione going to Australia, so he knew there should only be four people in the house. Someone in the kitchen would make five. An argument was the last thing he wanted, but he looked into the kitchen. His suspicions were confirmed.

Molly had lied to him again. He had expressed his concerns and told her how he felt, and she completely ignored it and so had the other man. If Arthur was in Conner's position, he would have backed off the moment he felt he'd crossed a line. Conner had crossed several, yet he kept coming around. There was nothing else Arthur could do. He had screwed up royally. Some of his kids had forgiven him. The person whom he sought forgiveness from the most clearly wasn't ready yet – if she would ever be willing to forgive was a mystery at this point.

.On his way up to Ginny's room, Arthur slipped into the master bedroom. He had only planned to get Ginny, but now he found himself unclasping his necklace. It was not an ordinary piece of jewelry. It was a knut. A lucky knut, in fact.

 _The young couple walked down Hogsmeade's main street. They were fresh out of Hogwarts and had been dating for just over four years. Most of their dates were in Hogsmeade, so this was not an unusual occurrence. However, unbeknownst to Molly, tonight was a very special night._

 _As the evening progressed, Arthur found it more and more difficult to stay calm. He had spent months planning out this date. Every possible obstacle, problem, and outcome had crossed his mind and he had planned for every single one. To say he was nervous was an understatement. He was sure Molly would say yes to his proposal, but he wanted the night to be perfect. Then there was the possibility she had changed her mind about him. What if she didn't want to spend the rest of her life with him? What if she decided he would be better as a friend instead of a fiancé or husband? Her parents had never liked the idea of Molly dating him and had even threatened to disown her. What if she wasn't willing to risk that?_

" _Oh!" Molly's exclamation caught Arthur's attention. Before he could stop, their intertwined hands jerked him back. "A knut! You nearly stepped on it. Here," she said, handing it to him._

 _A goofy grin spread across his face as he accepted it. Alright, that had to be a good sign, right? In a few short moments he would pop the question and this worn, old knut shows up on the sidewalk._

And as they say, the rest is history. Arthur proposed, Molly said yes, and they had eight kids together. From that point forward, Arthur kept the knut in his shirt pocket every day and set it safely on the nightstand every night. That is, until his and Molly's first wedding anniversary…

 _Arthur woke up and began his usual morning routine. When it came time to put his lucky knut in his pocket, he couldn't find it. He knew it was silly, but he would not go anywhere without it. He would ask Molly. Perhaps she knew where it went._

" _Molly," Arthur called, entering the kitchen, "have you seen my lucky knut?"_

" _Hmm? No, I haven't. Don't you think it's time to stop calling it lucky though?" she giggled, turning around from the stove._

 _Arthur was offended. How could she make fun of that? She knew how important it was to him. "I can't find it anywhere. Are you sure you haven't done anything with it?"_

" _I'm positive," she assured. "I'll look for it while you're at work. I promise. It's around here somewhere."_

 _Arthur fretted over it all day. It had become like an extra appendage. He couldn't wait to get home. If anyone could find it, Molly could. But how could it have gotten lost in the first place?_

 _To_ his _dismay, Molly said she had not found it. However, when he was getting ready for their anniversary dinner, she came up behind him and clasped a necklace around his neck and pecked his cheek. When_ Arthur _looked down, it was his knut. He could tell from every little nick and scratch on it. Molly had taken it to be turned into a necklace while he was gone. No matter how silly she thought that lucky knut was, she knew how important it was to him._

After turning it over in his hand, Arthur hung the necklace on the dresser mirror. He no longer had a need for it. Apparently, Molly was right. It was only a worn piece of metal. Or at least it was now. His luck had run out.

Before he left, Arthur looked around the room. Nothing was out of place. Not a speck of dust could be found. The pictures sat how they had for years. The bed was neatly made. Molly's nightclothes lay folded at the foot…But that wasn't her nightshirt; it was a man's shirt. Arthur was ready to go down and confront her, but then he realized it was actually his shirt. He thought he had gotten all of his things when he left, but his favorite shirt had been missing. He could only think that he had dropped it in the rush to get out.

If Molly was still wearing his shirt, that had to mean she still loved him. But why did she not show it? He understood she would still be angry with him for his one night stand, but wouldn't she want to forget about him completely then – at least for the time being? Why was she defying him and seeing this other man? Her actions behind closed doors contradicted her public actions. Arthur wished she would stop playing these games. He wished she would stop toying with him, because all this was doing was confusing him and making him feel worse.

 **oOoOo**

"Mum," Charlie began.

"I know," Molly responded before he could get another word out. She wasn't sure what Charlie was going to say, but she guessed. Either he was going to remind her that Conner was inside or tell her that he smelled alcohol on Arthur's breath.

"You're going to let him take Ginny like this?"

Molly wasn't sure what to do. On one hand, she knew Ginny would be happier away from her; on the other, Molly knew she wouldn't be as safe with Arthur. And she did still care for him. She still loved him. How could she not? She was afraid that if she told him no, it would push him further away. Maybe if he had his daughter to take care of, he would come to himself. So, her fear of losing him completely out-weighing fear for their daughter, she would let him take Ginny.

She replied to Charlie," Yes…I-I am."

She hoped Arthur hadn't seen Conner. That would only make things worse. Seeing as her husband hadn't stormed out of the house, she assumed he hadn't seen the Irishman. There really was nothing to worry about, like she had told him half a dozen times before. Trying to hide the fact that Conner was there would not look good though.

Molly knew Arthur didn't want her near him, but she had to do what helped her. Conner was the only person she knew that had been through something similar. But, in all honesty, she and Conner had not been discussing the situation as much as they had at first. The past couple of weeks, she would invite him for dinner just to chat. Ron and Charlie got on well with him, and it was nice to have a distraction. No one had realized how frequently Conner had been coming over.

When Molly and Charlie went back into the house, Charlie stood at the bottom of the steps, waiting for Arthur to leave, and Molly went into the kitchen. Conner informed her that supper was ruined. Nearly everything was burnt. She accepted his offer to take them to dinner in the village.

Footsteps were heard coming down the stairs. Conner stayed in the kitchen while Molly went into the sitting room. Ginny and Harry came into view, bags packed, with Arthur close behind. As usual, Harry was polite and cordial, but Ginny gave her the same cold treatment she had for the past five weeks. She wasn't expecting Arthur to look at her let alone speak to her, but he did.

"Let me know when you've figured out what you want," he said before following the kids out.

Molly wasn't one hundred percent sure what he meant by that.

The whole time they were in the village, Molly's mind was preoccupied. Would Ginny stop despising her now that she got what she wanted? Would she be safe with Arthur? Would this turn things around? Did she want to work things out with her husband? He had been aggressive when he was sober before she left him and worse when he was drunk. That was mostly her fault though – No, it wasn't. Arthur had never acted that way in his life. The way he suddenly became domineering baffled Molly. Only having seen him a handful of time since then did not help her decide whether or not she was ready to forgive him. His actions were never consistent.

Once they returned to the Burrow, Molly disappeared to the master bath. The hot water soothed her immensely. The stress she thought would decrease after the war's end had only intensified. She allowed her mind to clear from the dozens of buzzing questions.

Her relaxed state soon ended however. When she went to put on her nightclothes, she noticed Arthur's shirt lay in a heap instead of neatly folded. Evidently, Arthur had been in the room earlier that evening. Why hadn't he taken his shirt back? Did he realize how much she needed it? She was glad he had left it. For some reason, it comforted her.

As she dressed, something on the dresser mirror caught her eye. She immediately knew what it was. To her, it was just a silly necklace, but to Arthur it was much more than that. In the past twenty-nine years, she had never seen him take it off. She could not imagine why he would remove it.

During her bath, Molly thought she would finally be able to sleep well, but yet again, Arthur prevented that.


End file.
